<b 


. 


Doubloons  -  and  the  Girl 


OE  CALIF.  LIBRAHY,  LOS  MGJBLBS 


DOUBLOONS -AND  THE  GIRL 


DOUBLOONS  -  AND 
THE  GIRL 

BY 
JOHN  MAXWELL  FORBES 


INTERNATIONAL  FICTION  LIBRARY 

CLEVELAND,  O.  NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 

MADE  IN  U.  S.  A. 


Copyright,  1917,  by 
SULLY  AND  KLEINTEICH 

All  rights  reserved 


PBESS  OF 

THE  COMMERCIAL  BOOKBINDING   CO. 
CLEVELAND 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     ON  THE  BLIND  SIDE  OF  CHANCE  i 

II.     TYKE  GRIMSHAW  AND  His  AF- 
FAIRS         ii 

III.  HARD  HIT 21 

IV.  THE  SHADOW  OF  ROMANCE  .      .  28 
V.     A  SETBACK 42 

VI.     THE  BROKEN  CHEST  ....  50 

VII.     A  MYSTERIOUS  DOCUMENT  .      .  58 

VIII.     THE  SCOURGES  OF  THE  SEA  .      .  65 

IX.     GETTING    DOWN    TO    ''BRASS 

TACKS" 76 

X.     CAPRICIOUS  FORTUNE       ...  86 

XL     A  DREAM  REALIZED  ....  97 

XII.     A  SATISFACTORY  OUTLOOK    .      .  104 

XIII.  STORM  SIGNALS 114 

XIV.  BEGINNING  THE  VOYAGE       .      .  126 
XV.     THE  GREEN-EYED  MONSTER       .  135 

XVI.     GATHERING  CLOUDS    ....  148 

XVII.     THE  STORM  BREAKS  .      .      .     .  158 

XVIII.     A  SEA  COURT  .  168 


2129509 


VI 

CHAPTER 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXL 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 


Contents 


PAGE 
1 80 


FOREBODINGS    

THE  EARTH  TREMBLES    .      .      .  193 

"!F  I  WAS  SUPERSTITIOUS "  200 

BURIED  ALIVE 207 

A  DESPERATE  SITUATION       .      .  215 

THE  ALARM 229 

THE  LAKE  OF  FIRE     .      .      .      .241 

HOPE  DEFERRED 251 

THE  GIANT  AWAKES  ....  258 

BY  FAVOR  OF  THE  EARTHQUAKE  270 

MUTINY 281 

THE  FLAG  OF  TRUCE     .      .     .  29* 

A  DARING  VENTURE  ....  297 

THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  FORECASTLE  306 

THE  GHOST 316 

THE  BATTLE  Is  ON  ....  324 

THE  SURRENDER  —  CONCLUSION  330 


DOUBLOONS— AND  THE   GIRL 

CHAPTER  I 

ON  THE  BLIND  SIDE  OF  CHANCE 

ALLEN  DREW,  glancing  carelessly  about  as  he 
started  for  the  shore-end  of  the  pier,  suddenly  saw 
the  girl  coming  in  his  direction.  From  that  mo- 
ment— dating  from  the  shock  of  that  first  glimpse 
of  her — the  current  of  his  life  was  changed. 

Women  were  rare  enough  down  here  on  the 
East  River  docks ;  one  of  the  type  of  this  gloriously 
beautiful  girl  seemed  an  impossibility — an  halluci- 
nation. Curiosity  was  not  even  blended  with  his 
second  glance  at  her.  An  emotion  never  before 
conceived  in  his  heart  and  brain  gripped  him. 

Somehow  she  fitted  the  day  and  fitted,  too,  his 
mood.  The  very  spirit  of  April  seemed  incarnated 
in  her,  so  springy  her  step,  so  lissom  the  swaying 
of  her  young  body,  so  warm  and  pink  the  color 
in  her  cheeks.  Her  dress,  of  some  light  gray  mate- 
rial, had  a  dash  of  color  lent  to  it  by  the  bunch 
of  violets  at  her  waist.  Her  figure  was  slender  and 
slightly  above  the  middle  height.  A  distracting 
dimple  dented  the  velvet  of  her  right  cheek,  and 
above  her  small  mouth  and  perfectly  formed  nose 
a  pair  of  hazel  eyes  looked  frankly  out  upon  the 
world.  Her  oval  face  was  surmounted  by  a  dainty 


2  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

toque,  from  under  which  a  vagrant  tendril  of  hair 
had  escaped.  This  blew  about  her  ears,  glistening 
like  gold  in  the  sunshine. 

Drew  saw  beautiful  women  every  day  of  his  life. 
He  could  not  fail  to  do  so  in  a  city  where  they 
abound.  But  aside  from  the  day  and  his  mood, 
there  was  much  about  this  slip  of  a  girl  that  stirred 
him  mightily  and  set  his  pulse  to  galloping. 

He  had  lunched  heartily,  if  not  sumptuously,  at 
one  of  the  queer  little  restaurants  that  seem  to  have 
struck  their  roots  into  Fulton  Market  and  endured 
for  generations.  There  were  no  shaded  candles  on 
the  table,  and  finger  bowls  would  have  evoked  a 
puzzled  stare  or  a  frown  from  most  patrons  of  the 
place.  But  the  food  was  abundant  and  well  cooked, 
and  at  twenty-two,  with  a  keen  appetite  and  the 
digestion  of  an  ostrich,  one  asks  for  little  more. 

Drew  paid  his  check  and  stepped  out  into  the 
crooked  side  street  that  led  to  the  East  River,  only 
a  block  distant.  From  force  of  habit,  his  steps 
turned  in  the  direction  of  the  chandlery  shop  where 
he  was  employed.  On  reaching  South  Street,  he 
remembered  a  commission  that  had  been  given  him 
to  execute;  so,  turning  to  the  right,  he  walked 
briskly  toward  the  Battery. 

It  was  a  glorious  day  in  early  April.  A  sudden 
shower,  vanishing  almost  as  quickly  as  it  had  come, 
had  washed  the  rough  pavement  of  the  old  street 
to  a  semblance  of  cleanliness.  In  a  very  real  sense 


On  the  Blind  Side  of  Chance  3 

it  had  also  washed  the  air  until  it  shimmered  with 
the  translucence  of  a  pearl.  A  soft  wind  blew  up 
from  the  south  and  the  streets  were  drenched  with 
sunshine. 

It  was  a  day  that  might  have  prompted  a  hermit 
to  leave  his  cave,  a  philosopher  to  renounce  his 
books,  a  miser  to  give  a  penny  to  a  beggar.  It 
spoke  of  youth  and  love  and  growing  things,  of 
nest  building  in  the  trees,  of  water  rippling  over 
stones,  of  buds  bursting  into  bloom,  of  grass  blades 
pushing  through  the  soil. 

Yet,  despite  this — or  perhaps  because  of  it — 
Allen  Drew  was  conscious  of  a  vague  restlessness. 
A  feeling  of  discontent  haunted  him  and  robbed 
the  day  of  beauty.  Something  was  lacking,  and  he 
had  a  sense  of  incompleteness  that  was  quite  at 
variance  with  his  usual  complacent  outlook  on  life. 

He  was  not  given  to  minute  self-analysis,  but  as 
this  feeling  persisted  and  bothered  him,  he  began 
harking  back  to  the  events  of  the  morning  in  the 
hope  of  finding  an  explanation.  Was  there  any- 
thing he  had  done  that  was  wrong  or  anything 
that  he  had  neglected  to  do  that  came  in  his  prov- 
ince? He  cudgeled  his  brains,  but  thought  of 
nothing  that  should  give  him  uneasiness. 

He  had  corrected  that  imperfect  invoice  and  sent 
it  on  to  White  &  Tenny.  He  had  reminded  his 
employer  that  their  stock  of  compasses  was  low 
and  should  be  replenished.  He  had  directed  young 


4  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

Winters  to  answer  that  cablegram  from  Kingston. 
Try  as  he  would,  he  could  think  of  no  omission. 
The  books  were  strictly  up  to  date  and  everything 
was  moving  in  the  usual  routine. 

Ah,  there  he  had  it!  Routine!  That  was  the 
key  to  the  enigma.  It  was  just  that  unvarying 
smooth  routine,  that  endless  grinding  away  at  the 
same  familiar  things  that  to-day,  when  everything 
about  him  spoke  of  change  and  growth  and  free- 
dom, was  making  him  restless  and  perturbed.  He 
was  just  a  cog  in  the  ever-turning  wheel.  He  was 
a  slave  to  his  desk,  and  not  the  less  a  slave  because 
his  chains  happened  to  be  invisible. 

"It  won't  do,"  he  murmured  to  himself.  "I've 
got  to  have  a  change — some  excitement — some- 
thing!'' 

With  the  springtime  fermenting  in  his  blood  and 
stirring  him  to  rebellion,  he  went  on,  turning  out 
now  and  then  to  avoid  the  trucks  that,  with  a  cheer- 
ful disregard  for  police  regulations,  backed  up  on 
the  sidewalks  to  receive  their  loads  from  the  ware- 
house doors,  until  he  reached  Wall  Street.  Just  be- 
yond was  Jones  Lane,  whose  sylvan  name  seemed 
strangely  out  of  place  in  the  whirl  and  hubbub  of 
that  crowded  district.  Here  he  turned,  and,  pick- 
ing his  way  across  the  muddy  street,  went  out  on 
the  uncovered  pier  that  stretched  for  five  hundred 
feet  into  the  river. 

The  pier  was  buzzing  with  activity.     Bales  and 


On  the  Blind  Side  of  Chance  5 

boxes  and  barrels  by  the  thousands  were  scattered 
about  in  what  seemed  to  be  the  wildest  confusion. 
Gangs  of  sweating  stevedores  trundled  their  heavy 
burdens  over  the  gangplanks  of  the  vessels  that  lay 
on  either  side,  and  great  cranes  and  derricks,  their 
giant  claws  seizing  tons  of  merchandise  at  a  time, 
swung  creakingly  overhead  to  disgorge  their  loads 
into  yawning  hatchways. 

Drew  threaded  his  way  through  the  tangled  maze 
until  he  reached  the  end  of  the  pier  where  the  bark 
Normandy  was  lying. 

"Captain  Peters  around  anywhere?"  he  asked  of 
the  second  officer,  who  was  superintending  the  work 
of  the  seamen,  and  had  just  relieved  himself  of 
some  remarks  that  would  have  made  a  truck  driver 
envious. 

"Below  in  his  cabin,  sir,"  was  the  answer,  and 
Drew  went  aboard,  walked  aft,  and  swung  himself 
down  the  narrow  stairs  that  led  to  the  captain's 
quarters. 

He  found  the  skipper  sitting  at  his  table,  looking 
over  a  sheaf  of  bills  of  lading. 

"Good  afternoon,  Captain  Peters,"  was  Drew's 
greeting. 

"Howdy,"  responded  the  captain.  "Jest  sit  down 
an'  make  yerself  comf'table.  I'll  be  through  with 
these  papers  in  jest  a  minute  or  two." 

His  work  concluded,  the  captain  shoved  the  bills 
aside  with  a  sigh  of  relief  and  looked  up. 


6  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"I  s'pose  ye  come  to  see  me  about  that  windlass  ?" 
he  remarked.  "But  first,"  he  added,  as  Drew  was 
about  to  reply,  "won't  ye  have  somethin'  to  wet  yer 
whistle?" 

He  reached  for  a  decanter  and  a  couple  of  glasses. 
Drew  smilingly  declined,  and  the  captain,  nothing 
daunted,  poured  out  enough  for  two  and  drank 
it  in  a  single  Gargantuan  swallow. 

"I  just  came  to  say,"  explained  Drew,  as  the  cap- 
tain set  down  the  glass,  smacking  his  lips  compla- 
cently, "that  we'll  have  that  windlass  over  to  you  by 
to-morrow,  or  the  next  day  at  the  latest.  The  fac- 
tory held  us  up." 

"That's  all  right,"  replied  the  captain  good- 
naturedly.  "I  haven't  been  worryin'  about  it.  I've 
been  dealin'  with  Tyke  Grimshaw  goin'  on  twenty 
year  an  'he  ain't  never  put  me  in  a  hole  yet.  I  knew 
it  would  come  along  in  plenty  of  time  fur 
sailinY' 

"By  the  way,  when  do  you  sail,  Captain  ?"  asked 
Drew. 

"In  a  week,  more  or  less.  It  all  depends  on  how 
soon  we  get  our  cargo  stowed." 

"What  are  you  carrying?" 

"Mostly  machinery  an'  cotton  prints  fur  China 
and  Japan." 

"And  what  will  you  bring  back?" 

"Ain't  sure  about  that  yet.  Owners'  orders  will 
be  waitin'  fur  me  when  we  get  to  Hong  Kong. 


On  the  Blind  Side  of  Chance  7 

Probably  load  up  with  tea  and  such  truck.  Maybe 
get  some  copra  at  some  of  the  islands." 

China,  Japan,  the  South  Seas!  Lands  of  mys- 
tery, adventure  and  romance!  Lands  of  eternal 
summer!  Azure  seas  studded  with  islands  like 
emeralds!  Velvet  nights  spangled  with  flaming 
stars ! 

The  wanderlust  seized  on  Allen  Drew  more 
fiercely  than  before,  and  his  heart  sickened  with 
longing. 

"It  must  be  wonderful  to  see  all  those  places," 
he  ventured. 

"Huh?"  said  the  captain,  looking  at  him  blankly. 

"I  mean,"  explained  the  landsman,  half  ashamed 
of  his  enthusiasm,  "that  everything  is  so  different — 

so  old — so  mysterious — so  beautiful .  You 

know  what  I  mean,"  he  ended  lamely. 

The  captain  sniffed. 

"Pooty  enough,  I  s'pose,"  he  grunted.  "But  I 
never  pay  no  'tention  to  that.  What  with  layin' 
my  course  an'  loadin'  my  cargo  an'  followin'  own- 
ers orders,  my  mind's  what  ye  might  call  pooty  well 
took  up." 

The  irony  of  it  all!  The  captain  who  did  not 
care  a  copper  for  romance  was  going  into  the  very 
thick  of  it,  while  he,  Allen  Drew,  who  panted  for 
it,  was  doomed  to  forego  it  forever.  Of  what  use 
to  have  the  soul  of  a  Viking,  if  your  job  is  that  of 
a  chandler's  clerk? 


8  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

The  captain  applied  himself  to  the  decanter  again 
and  Drew  roused  from  his  momentary  reverie. 

"Well,"  he  observed,  as  he  took  his  hat  from  the 
table  on  which  he  had  thrown  it,  "I'll  keep  a  sharp 
eye  out  for  that  windlass  and  see  that  it  is  shipped 
to  you  the  minute  it  reaches  us  from  the  factory." 

"All  right,"  responded  the  captain,  rising  to  his 
feet.  "I'll  be  lookin'  for  it.  I  wouldn't  dare  risk 
the  old  one  fur  another  v'yage." 

They  shook  hands,  and  Drew  climbed  the  stairs, 
crossed  the  deck  and  went  out  on  to  the  wharf. 

The  river  was  a  scene  almost  as  busy  as  that 
which  lay  behind  him  in  the  crowded  streets 
of  the  metropolis.  Snorting  tugs  were  darting  to 
and  fro,  lines  of  barges  were  being  convoyed  to- 
ward the  Sound,  ferryboats  were  leaving  and  enter- 
ing their  slips,  tramp  steamers  were  poking  their 
way  up  from  Quarantine,  and  a  huge  ocean  liner 
was  moving  majestically  toward  the  Narrows  and 
the  open  sea  beyond. 

Drew  took  off  his  hat  and  let  the  soft  breeze  cool 
his  brow.  Things  seemed  hopelessly  out  of  gear. 
He  felt  like  a  trapped  animal.  So  he  imagined  a 
squirrel  might  feel,  turning  the  wheel  endjessly  in 
the  narrow  limits  of  its  cage.  Or,  to  make  the 
image  human,  his  thoughts  wandered  to  the  shorn 
and  blinded  Samson  grinding  his  tale  of  corn  in 
the  Philistine  town. 

He  found  himself  envying  a  man  who  leaned 


On  the  Blind  Side  of  Chance  9 

against  a  neighboring  spile.  He  was  a  tall,  spare 
fellow,  dressed  a  little  better  than  the  common  run 
of  sailors,  but  unmistakably  a  sea-faring  man. 
What  Drew  especially  noted  was  that  the  stranger 
had  only  one  eye — and  that  set  in  a  rather  forbid- 
ding countenance.  Ordinarily  he  might  have  pitied 
him,  but  in  his  present  mood  Drew  envied  him.  The 
stranger's  one  remaining  eye  had,  after  all,  seen 
more  of  the  world  than  his  own  two  good  optics 
would  likely  ever  see. 

From  these  fruitless  and  fantastic  musings  he 
roused  himself  with  an  effort.  A  glance  at  his 
watch  startled  him.  This  would  never  do.  As  long 
as  he  took  Tyke  Grimshaw's  money  he  must  do 
Tyke  Grimshaw's  work. 

"Back  to  the  treadmill,"  he  said  to  himself, 
grimly;  and  it  was  then,  as  he  started  for  the  head 
of  the  pier,  that  he  first  saw  the  girl. 

He  slackened  his  pace  instantly,  so  as  to  have 
her  the  longer  in  sight,  mentally  blessing  the  bales 
and  boxes  that  made  her  progress  slow.  Not  for 
the  world  would  he  have  offended  her  by  staring; 
but  he  stole  covert  glances  at  her  from  time  to  time ; 
and  with  each  swift  glance  the  impression  she  had 
made  upon  him  grew  in  strength. 

She  came  on,  seemingly  unconscious  of  his  pres- 
ence, until  they  were  almost  opposite  each  other. 
One  hand  held  her  dress  from  contact  with  the  lit- 
ter of  the  dock;  in  the  other  she  carried  what  ap- 


10  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

peared  to  be  a  packet  of  letters.  The  path  she  chose 
led  her  to  the  very  edge  of  the  dock. 

Drew  would  have  passed  the  next  instant  had 
the  girl  not  stopped  suddenly,  a  startled  expression 
becoming  visible  on  her  face.  The  young  man 
turned  swiftly.  The  one-eyed  seaman,  whose  ap- 
pearance he  had  previously  marked,  stood  almost 
at  his  elbow  and  confronted  the  girl. 

She  stepped  back  to  avoid  the  seaman,  and  her 
foot  caught  in  a  coil  of  rope.  For  a  moment  she 
swayed  on  the  verge  of  the  dock — then  Drew's 
hand  shot  out,  and  he  caught  her  arm,  steadying 
her.  But  the  packet  she  carried  flew  from  her  hand 
and  disappeared  beyond  the  stringpiece  of  the  pier. 

The  girl  uttered  a  little  cry  of  distress.  Drew 
shot  a  belligerent  glance  at  the  one-eyed  man. 

''What  do  you  want?"  he  demanded,  with  trucu- 
lence.  "Isn't  the  dock  broad  enough  for  you  to 
pass  without  annoying  the  lady?  Get  along  with 
you!" 

The  one-eyed  man  uttered  an  oath,  but  moved 
away,  though  slowly.  Drew  turned  to  the  girl 
again,  hat  in  hand,  a  smile  chasing  the  frown  from 
his  face. 


CHAPTER  II 

TYKE  GRIMSHAW  AND   HIS  AFFAIRS 

"I  BEG  your  pardon,"  Drew  said,  bowing  low, 
"but  can  I  be  of  any  further  assistance?" 

The  girl  looked  up  at  him  a  little  doubtfully,  but 
what  she  saw  in  his  frank  brown  eyes  must  have 
reassured  her,  for  she  spoke  without  hesitation. 

"You  are  very  kind,"  she  answered,  "but  I  fear 
it  is  too  late.  I  had  some  letters  in  my  hand,  and 
when  I  slipped  they  went  into  the  water.  I'm  afraid 
you  can't  get  them." 

Mentally  resolving  to  dive  for  them  if  such  a 
procedure  became  necessary,  Drew  stepped  upon 
the  stringpiece  of  the  pier  beside  her  and  looked 
down. 

She  gave  a  joyous  exclamation  as  she  saw  the 
package  lying  in  the  bottom  of  a  small  boat  that 
floated  at  the  stern  of  a  steamer  moored  to  the  pier. 

"Oh,  there  they  are!"  she  cried  delightedly. 
"How  lucky!"  Then  her  face  changed.  "But  after 
all  it  is  going  to  be  hard  to  get  them,"  she  added. 
"The  pier  is  high  and  there  don't  seem  to  be  any 
cleats  here  to  climb  down  by." 

"Easiest  thing  in  the  world,"  returned  Drew  con- 
fidently. "I'll  go  aboard  the  steamer,  haul  the  boat 
up  to  the  stern,  and  drop  into  it." 

ii 


12  Doubloons-and  The  Girl 

"But  the  stern  is  so  very  high,"  she  said,  meas- 
uring it  with  her  eye. 

"That  doesn't  matter,"  he  replied.  "If  you'll 
just  wait  here,  I'll  go  aboard  and  be  back  with  the 
letters  before  you  know  it."  He  glanced  around 
swiftly.  "I  don't  think  that  fellow  will  trouble  you 
again." 

"I  am  not  at  all  afraid  of  that  man.  He  only 
startled  me  for  the  moment.  But  I  hate  to  put  you  to 
so  much  trouble,"  she  added,  looking  at  him  shyly. 

"It  will  be  a  pleasure,"  protested  Drew,  return- 
ing her  look  with  another  from  which  he  tried  to 
exclude  any  undue  warmth. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  he  was  not  altogether  suc- 
cessful, judging  from  the  faint  flush  that  rose  in 
her  cheek  as  she  dropped  her  gaze  before  his. 

His  mind  awhirl,  the  young  man  hurried  up  to 
the  gangway  of  the  steamer  where  he  found  one  of 
the  officers.  He  briefly  explained  that  he  wanted 
to  secure  a  package  that  a  young  lady  had  dropped 
into  the  boat  lying  astern,  and  the  officer,  with  an 
appreciative  grin,  readily  granted  permission  to  him 
to  go  aboard. 

Drew  hurried  to  the  stern,  which,  as  the  steamer 
had  discharged  her  cargo,  rose  fully  twenty  feet 
from  the  water.  He  hauled  in  the  boat  until  it  lay 
directly  beneath.  Then  he  gathered  up  the  slack 
of  the  painter  and  wound  it  about  a  cleat  until  it 
was  taut.  This  done,  he  dropped  over  the  rail  and 


Tyke  Grimshaw  and  His  Affairs         13 

let  himself  down  by  the  rope  until  his  feet  touched 
the  thwart  of  the  tender. 

He  worked  his  way  aft  carefully,  and  picking  up 
the  package  placed  it  in  his  breast  pocket.  Then 
he  caught  hold  of  the  rope  and  climbed  up,  hand 
over  hand. 

It  was  unaccustomed  work  for  a  landsman,  but 
Drew  was  supple  and  athletic  and  he  mounted  rap- 
idly. Not  for  a  fortune  would  he  have  faltered  with 
those  hazel  eyes  fixed  upon  him.  With  the  girl 
watching  him,  he  felt  as  though  he  eould  have 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Woolworth  Building. 

It  was  his  misfortune  that  he  could  not  see  the 
look  of  admiration  in  her  eyes  as  they  followed  his 
movements — a  look,  however,  which  by  the  exercise 
of  maidenly  repression  she  had  changed  to  one  of 
mere  gratitude  when  at  last,  breathing  a  little 
quickly,  he  approached  her  with  the  packet  he  had 
recovered  in  his  hand. 

"Oh !"  she  exclaimed,  taking  it  eagerly  and  clasp- 
ing it  tightly,  "how  very  good  of  you  to  take  all  that 
trouble !  I  don't  know  how  to  thank  you  enough." 

"It  was  no  trouble  at  all,"  Drew  responded.  "I 
count  myself  lucky  to  have  happened  along  just 
when  you  needed  me." 

His  speech  won  him  a  radiant  smile,  and  he 
promptly  decided  that  the  dimple  in  her  cheek  was 
not  merely  distracting.  It  was  divine! 

There   was   a   moment  of   embarrassed   silence. 


14  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

The  young  man  was  wild  to  pursue  the  conversa- 
tion. But  he  was  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to 
presume  on  the  service  he  had  rendered,  and  he 
knew  that  he  should  lift  his  hat  and  depart. 

One  feeble  resource  was  left  by  which  he  might 
reconcile  duty  with  desire. 

"It's  very  hard  getting  about  on  this  crowded 
pier,"  he  ventured,  "and  you  see  there  are  some 
rough  characters  around.  You  might  perhaps  like 
to  have  me  see  you  safely  to  the  street  when  you 
are  ready  to  go?" 

She  hesitated  for  a  moment,  her  own  inclination 
evidently  battling  with  convention.  But  convention 
won. 

"I  think  not,"  she  said,  flashing  him  a  smile  that 
softened  her  refusal  and  at  the  same  time  completed 
his  undoing.  "You  see  it  is  broad  daylight  and  I 
am  perfectly  safe.  Thank  you  for  the  offer  though, 
and  thank  you  again  for  what  you  have  done  for 
me." 

It  was  dismissal,  none  the  less  final  because  it 
was  gracious,  and  Drew  yielded  to  the  inevitable. 

He  glanced  back  once  or  twice,  assuring  himself 
that  it  was  his  plain  duty  to  keep  her  in  sight  in 
order  to  see  that  nothing  happened  to  her.  He 
found  himself  wishing  that  she  would  drop  the  let- 
ters overboard  again — that  the  one-eyed  man  would 
reappear — that  something  would  occur,  however 
slight,  to  call  him  to  her  side  once  more.  It  was 


Tyke  Grimshaw  and  His  Affairs         15 

with  a  thrill  of  exultation  that  he  saw  her  approach 
the  gangplank  of  the  Normandy. 

Then,  for  a  moment,  at  least,  he  was  sure  he  was 
going  to  have  his  wish.  He  spied  the  one-eyed  man 
coming  into  view  from  behind  a  heap  of  freight  and 
approach  the  boarding-plank.  He  spoke  to  the  girl 
and  she  halted. 

Drew  was  on  the  point  of  darting  back  to  the 
girl's  rescue.  But  the  seaman's  attitude  was  re- 
spectful, and  it  seemed  that  what  he  said  was  not 
offensive.  At  least,  the  girl  listened  attentively, 
nodded  when  the  man  had  finished  speaking,  and  as 
the  latter  fell  back  she  tripped  lightly  aboard  the 
Normandy,  and  so  disappeared. 

Drew's  curiosity  was  so  great  that  he  might  have 
lingered  until  the  girl  came  ashore  again,  but  the 
one-eyed  man  was  coming  up  the  dock  and  the 
young  fellow  was  cooler  now  and  felt  that  it  would 
not  be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  have  another  alterca- 
tion with  the  rough  looking  stranger.  Perhaps,  after 
all,  the  one-eyed  man  had  merely  spoken  to  the  girl 
to  ask  pardon  for  having  previously  startled  her. 

"Well,"  Drew  said  to  himself,  "Peters  knows 
her  and  can  tell  me  all  about  her.  Anyhow  I  know 
her  name  and  I'll  find  out  where  she  lives  if  I  have 
to  search  New  York  from  end  to  end." 

For  on  the  envelope  that  had  lain  uppermost 
when  he  had  picked  up  the  package  from  the  grat- 
ing of  the  tender,  he  had  seen  the  name,  "Ruth 


16  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Adams."  The  address  had  escaped  him  in  that 
momentary  glance,  and  although  he  could  have  eas- 
ily repaired  the  omission  while  he  was  passing  back 
along  the  steamer's  deck,  his  instincts  revolted  at 
anything  that  looked  like  prying. 

But  there  was  nothing  in  his  code  that  forbade 
his  using  every  legitimate  means  of  searching  her 
out  and  securing  an  introduction  in  the  way  dic- 
tated by  the  approved  forms,  and  he  promised  him- 
self that  the  episode  should  not  end  here. 

"Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast,"  es- 
pecially when  that  breast  is  a  youthful  one,  and 
Allen  Drew's  thoughts  spun  a  dozen  rainbow 
visions  as  he  made  his  way  back  to  the  shop  whose 
insistent  call  he  had  for  the  last  hour  put  aside.  He 
walked  automatically  and  only  that  sixth  sense  pecu- 
liar to  city  dwellers  prevented  his  being  run  down 
more  than  once.  But  the  objurgations  of  startled 
drivers  as  they  brought  up  their  vehicles  with  a  jerk 
bothered  him  not  a  whit.  His  physical  presence 
was  on  South  Street  but  his  real  self  was  on  the 
crowded  pier  where  he  had  left  Ruth  Adams. 

Still  moving  on  mechanically,  he  entered  the  door 
of  the  chandlery  shop,  over  which  a  signboard,  dingy 
with  age,  announced  that  "T.  Grimshaw"  was  the 
proprietor.  He  nodded  absently  in  response  to  the 
salutations  of  Sam,  the  negro  porter,  and  Winters, 
the  junior  clerk,  and  sat  down  at  his  desk. 

The  building  that  housed  the  chandlery  shop  was 


Tyke  Grimshaw  and  His  Affairs         17 

a  very  old  one,  dating  back  to  a  time  previous  to 
the  Revolution.  When  it  was  erected  the  Boston 
"Tea  Party"  was  still  in  the  future.  If  its  old  walls 
could  have  spoken  they  might  have  told  of  the 
time  when  almost  all  New  York  was  housed  below 
Chambers  Street;  when  the  "Bouwerie,"  free  from 
its  later  malodorous  associations,  was  a  winding 
country  lane  where  lads  and  lasses  carried  on  their 
courtships  in  the  long  summer  evenings;  when 
Cherry  Hill,  now  notorious  for  its  fights  and  fac- 
tions, was  the  abode  of  the  city's  wealth  and  fash- 
ion; when  Collect  Pond,  on  whose  site  the  Tombs 
now  stands,  was  the  skating  center  where  New 
York's  belles  and  beaux  disported  themselves ;  when 
merry  parties  picnicked  in  the  woods  and  sylvan 
glades  of  Fourteenth  Street. 

Those  same  walls,  looking  across  the  East  River, 
had  seen  the  prison  ship  Jersey,  in  whose  foul  and 
festering  holds  had  died  so  many  patriots.  And 
they  had  shaken  to  the  salvos  of  artillery  that 
greeted  Washington,  when,  at  the  end  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  he  had  landed  at  the  Battery  and 
had  gone  in  pomp  to  Fraunce's  Tavern  for  a  fare- 
well dinner  to  his  officers. 

In  its  day  it  had  been  a  stout  and  notable  build- 
ing, and  even  now  it  might  be  good  for  another 
hundred  years.  But  the  inexorable  march  of  prog- 
ress and  the  worth  of  the  land  on  which  it  stood 
had  sealed  its  doom.  Grimshaw  had  occupied  it 


18  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

for  twenty  years,  but  when  he  sought  to  renew  his 
lease  he  had  been  told  that  no  renewal  would  be 
granted.  He  could  still  occupy  the  building  and 
pay  the  rent  from  month  to  month.  But  he  now 
held  possession  only  on  sufferance,  and  it  was  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  he  might  be  called  upon  to 
vacate  at  any  time  on  a  few  days'  notice. 

But  "threatened  men  live  long,"  and  it  was  be- 
ginning to  look  as  though  the  same  might  be  said 
of  the  old  building.  For  two  years  the  months  had 
come  and  gone  without  any  hint  of  change,  and 
Tyke  had  settled  down  in  the  belief  that  the  building 
would  last  as  long  as  he  did.  After  that  it  did  not 
matter.  He  had  no  kith  or  kin  to  whom  to  leave 
his  business. 

He  was  a  grim  and  grizzled  old  fellow,  well  on 
in  his  sixties.  In  his  earlier  days  he  had  been  a 
master  mariner,  and  had  sailed  all  the  Seven  Seas. 
He  had  rounded  the  Horn  a  dozen  times ;  had  scud- 
ded with  reefed  topsails  in  the  "roaring  forties" ; 
had  lost  two  fingers  of  his  left  hand  in  a  fight  with 
Malay  pirates ;  had  battled  with  waterspouts,  torna- 
does and  typhoons;  had  harpooned  whales  in  the 
Arctic ;  had  lost  a  ship  by  fire,  and  been  shipwrecked 
twice ;  and  from  these  combats  with  men  and  nature 
he  had  emerged  as  tough  and  hardy  as  a  pine  knot. 

The  profits  of  a  notable  whaling  expedition  from 
which  he  had  returned  with  the  tanks  filled  to  burst- 
ing, barrels  crowded  on  the  deck,  and  the  very  scup- 


Tyke  Grimshaw  and  His  Affairs         19 

pers  running  oil,  together  with  a  tidy  little  inheri- 
tance that  fell  to  him  about  the  same  time,  had  en- 
abled him  to  buy  the  chandlery  shop  from  its  for- 
mer proprietor  and  settle  down  to  spend  the  rest  ot 
his  life  ashore  and  yet  in  sight  and  scent  of  salt 
water. 

How  he  had  gained  the  name  of  "Tyke,"  by 
which  everybody  called  him,  nobody  knew.  He 
himself  never  volunteered  to  tell,  and  in  all  his  bills 
and  accounts  used  only  the  initial  "T."  Some  of 
his  employees  favored  Tyrus,  others  Titus.  One  in 
a  wild  flight  of  fancy  suggested  Ticonderoga.  But 
the  mystery  remained  unsolved,  and,  after  all,  as 
the  checks  that  bore  the  scrawl,  "T.  Grimshaw," 
were  promptly  honored  at  the  bank,  it  did  not 
matter. 

He  was  not  what  could  be  called  an  enterprising 
business  man  and  there  were  many  houses  in  his 
line  that  made  a  more  pretentious  appearance,  car- 
ried a  larger  stock,  and  had  a  much  more  extensive 
trade.  But  he  lived  frugally,  discounted  his  bills, 
and  had  such  a  broad  acquaintance  among  seafaring 
men  that  each  year's  end  showed  a  neat  profit  on 
his  books. 

His  store  force  was  modest,  being  only  three  in 
number.  Allen  Drew  was  a  sort  of  general  man- 
ager,  and  Tyke  was  growing  more  and  more  into 
the  habit  of  leaving  the  conduct  of  the  business  to 
him.  Winters  was  the  junior  clerk.  He  had  come 


20  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

direct  from  high  school  and  was  now  in  his  second 
year  of  service.  Then  there  was  Sam,  the  colored 
porter  and  man  of  all  work,  whose  last  name  was 
as  much  a  mystery  as  Grimshaw's  first. 

Drew  took  up  some  papers  that  had  been  laid  on 
his  desk  during  his  absence,  and  tried  to  fix  his 
mind  upon  them.  He  was  dimly  aware  that  some- 
body had  entered  the  store  door,  had  spoken  to 
Winters,  and  that  the  junior  clerk  had  shown  the 
visitor  into  Grimshaw's  private  office. 

But  Allen  Drew's  thoughts  were  too  far  afield  to 
be  caught  by  this  incident,  or  to  become  easily  con- 
centrated upon  humdrum  business  affairs.  He  laid 
down  the  papers,  and  sighed. 

He  began  to  day-dream  again.  In  the  whole 
category  of  feminine  names  was  there  ever  one  so 
pretty  as  Ruth?  And  surely  never  did  a  girl,  in 
both  form  and  feature,  so  fit  the  name. 

Suddenly  he  realized  that  the  door  of  the  private 
office  was  open  and  that  Grimshaw's  head  was 
thrust  out. 

"Hey!     Come  here  a  minute,  Allen,"  he  called. 

There  was  a  note  of  trouble  in  the  old  man's 
voice,  and  Tyke's  face  expressed  some  strong  emo- 
tion. Alert  on  the  instant,  Drew  rose  to  obey  his 
employer's  summons. 


CHAPTER  III 

HARD    HIT 

DREW  was  not  surprised  to  find  that  his  employer 
was  not  alone.  A  man  whom  he  now  recognized  as 
the  agent  of  the  estate  controlling  the  building  was 
seated  at  one  end  of  the  desk  and  was  drumming 
upon  it  with  his  fingers. 

Tyke  was  hunched  up  in  his  big  revolving  chair 
with  a  look  of  agitation  on  his  face.  His  hands 
were  clenching  and  unclenching  rapidly.  It  was 
evident  that  something  much  out  of  the  ordinary 
had  occurred  to  rob  him  of  his  usual  placidity. 

He  motioned  Drew  to  a  seat. 

"Well,  Allen,"  began  Grimshaw,  in  a  voice  that 
he  tried  in  vain  to  render  calm,  "it's  come  at  last. 
We've  got  to  get  out  of  the  old  place." 

"What?"  cried  the  young  man;  yet  this  only  con- 
firmed the  suspicion  which  his  recognition  of  the 
visitor  had  suggested. 

"We're  sorry,  of  course,"  purred  the  agent,  who 
had  tried  to  break  the  unwelcome  news  to  the  old 
man  as  easily  as  possible.  "But,  of  course,  you 
know  that  you  held  the  place  on  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  we  should  take  possession  at  will." 

"I  ain't  denying  that,  Mr.  Blake,"  admitted  Tyke. 
"There's  isn't  anything  underhand  or  wrong  about 

21 


22  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

what  you're  doing.  I  kept  on  here  with  my  eyes 
wide  open  and  I'm  ready  to  take  my  medicine.  But 
all  the  same,  it  comes  as  a  shock.  I'd  hoped  to  hold 
on  to  the  old  craft  as  long  as  I  lived." 

"I  wish  you  could,  both  for  your  sake  and  ours," 
returned  Blake.  "We  haven't  a  tenant  anywhere 
who  pays  his  rent  more  promptly  and  bothers  us 
less  about  repairs.  But  the  trustees  of  the  estate 
have  had  an  offer  from  parties  who  want  to  put  up 
a  more  modern  building  on  this  site,  and  it  was 
too  good  to  decline." 

"When  are  they  going  to  start  ?"  asked  Drew. 

"They're  in  something  of  a  hurry,"  replied  the 
agent.  "You  see  this  is  the  right  time  of  the  year 
for  construction  work,  and  they  want  to  have  the 
foundations  laid  by  fall." 

"It's  only  a  matter  of  days  then  before  we  have 
to  find  another  place?"  went  on  Drew. 

"Oh,  I  should  hardly  say  that,"  replied  Blake, 
soothingly.  "You  know  how  those  things  are. 
They'll  have  a  lot  to  do  in  the  way  of  plans  and  con- 
tracts before  they  get  down  to  the  actual  work  of 
building.  Still,"  he  went  on,  more  cautiously,  "they 
may  get  busy  on  wrecking  the  old  building  at  almost 
any  time,  and  I'd  advise  you  as  a  friend  not  to  let 
the  grass  grow  under  your  feet.  You've  got  a  lot 
of  stuff  here,  and  it  will  take  a  good  deal  of  time 
to  move  it.  If  I  were  you,  I'd  figure  on  being  out 
in  a  week  or  ten  days." 


Hard  Hit  23 

"Ten  days !"  groaned  Tyke.  "An5  I  haven't  even 
got  a  place  to  go  to." 

"It  may  take  some  hustling,"  admitted  the  agent. 
''But  a  good  deal  can  be  done  in  a  short  time  when 
you  have  to.  I'll  look  around,  and  if  I  learn  of  any 
place  that  would  suit  you  I'll  let  you  know." 

There  was  little  else  to  be  said,  and  after  another 
expression  of  regret  at  the  unpleasant  duty  he  had 
had  to  perform,  Blake  took  his  leave. 

The  two  men  left  in  the  office,  contrasting  types 
of  age  and  youth,  looked  at  each  other  for  a  mo- 
ment without  speaking.  Allen  Drew  had  a  real 
affection  for  his  employer,  who  for  some  time  past 
had  treated  him  more  like  a  son  than  an  employee, 
and  he  was  genuinely  shocked  to  see  how  this  blow 
had  affected  him. 

"Don't  mind,  Mr.  Grimshaw,"  he  said  cheerily. 
"It  doesn't  mean  the  end  of  the  world.  We'll  find 
another  place  that  is  just  as  good.  And  this  time 
we'll  get  a  lease,  so  we  won't  have  to  worry  about 
being  routed  out  in  this  way." 

Tyke  shook  his  head  dismally. 

"That's  all  very  well  for  you  youngsters,"  he  re- 
plied. "You're  at  an  age  when  you'd  as  soon 
change  as  not.  But  I've  kind  o'  stuck  my  kedge 
deep  into  the  old  place,  an'  it's  like  plucking  my 
heart  out  to  have  to  up  anchor  and  make  sail  for 
another  port." 

The  younger  man  thought  it  would  be  best  to 


24  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

leave  Grimshaw  alone  for  a  while,  and  he  rose 
briskly  to  his  feet. 

"If  you  say  so,  I'll  go  out  and  look  around,"  he 
suggested.  "I've  had  this  thing  in  the  back  of  my 
mind  for  some  time  past,  and  I  know  of  two  or 
three  likely  places  that  may  fill  the  bill." 

"All  right,"  assented  Tyke  apathetically.  "Jest 
tell  Winters  to  look  after  things  in  the  shop  while 
you're  gone.  I  reckon  I  won't  be  much  good  for 
the  rest  of  the  afternoon." 

Drew  went  out,  and  after  imparting  the  news, 
which  shocked  Winters  and  Sam,  put  on  his  hat  and 
left  the  office. 

That  morning  he  had  been  hoping  for  a  change. 
This  afternoon  he  was  getting  it  with  a  vengeance. 

It  was  desirable  from  every  standpoint  that  the 
new  place  should  be  as  near  to  the  old  one  as  pos- 
sible. This  consideration  limited  his  choice  to  two 
buildings  which  he  knew  were  vacant,  and  toward 
these  he  bent  his  steps. 

The  first  place  he  vsited  had  just  been  rented, 
but  at  the  second  he  had  better  luck.  He  returned 
about  four  o'clock  and  burst  into  the  store,  flushed 
and  jubilant. 

"I've  found  it,"  he  announced,  going  into  the  pri- 
vate office.  "Just  what  the  doctor  ordered.  Plenty 
of  room,  a  better  pair  of  show  windows  than  we 
have  here,  and  a  long-time  lease  for  a  rent  that's 
only  a  trifle  more  than  we're  paying  now." 


Hard  Hit  25 

Tyke  looked  up  with  the  first  sign  of  animation 
he  had  shown  since  Blake's  visit. 

•'Where  is  it?"  he  asked. 

"Just  on  the  next  block,"  answered  Drew. 
"Turner's  old  place." 

"We'll  go  right  over  now  an'  look  at  it,"  said 
Tyke,  rising  and  putting  on  his  hat. 

After  inspecting  the  three  floors  thoroughly, 
Grimshaw  agreed  with  his  young  manager  that  they 
were  in  luck  to  get  the  building.  A  visit  to  the 
agent  followed,  and  before  they  left  his  office  Tyke 
had  handed  over  a  check  for  the  first  month's  rent 
and  had  a  five-year  lease  in  his  pocket. 

"A  good  piece  of  work,  Allen,  my  boy,"  he  said, 
as  they  parted  outside  the  shop  that  night.  "I  don't 
know  what  I'd  do  without  you.  But  I'm  mighty 
sorry  to  have  to  leave  the  old  place.  No  other  will 
ever  seem  exactly  like  it." 

"Poor  old  Tyke,"  mused  Drew,  as  he  looked 
after  the  retreating  figure  that  suddenly  seemed 
older  than  he  had  ever  seen  it.  "He's  hard  hit." 

In  all  the  stir  and  bustle  of  that  crowded  after- 
noon, Drew  had  been  conscious  of  a  glow  at  his 
heart  that  was  not  due  to  mere  business  excitement. 
One  name  had  been  upon  his  lips,  one  thought  had 
sought  to  monopolize  him.  And  now  that  business 
was  over  for  the  day,  he  yielded  utterly  to  the  obses- 
sion of  that  meeting  on  the  wharf. 

Instead  of  striding  uptown  as  usual,  he  turned 


26  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

in  the  other  direction  and  went  down  to  the  Jones 
Lane  pier,  now  for  the  most  part  deserted  and  quiet 
in  the  waning  light.  Here  and  there  a  watchman 
sat  on  a  bale  smoking  his  pipe,  while  occasionally  a 
sailor  lay  a  more  or  less  unsteady  course  for  his 
ship. 

Drew  made  his  way  to  where  the  Normandy  was 
moored,  and  asked  for  Captain  Peters. 

"Gone  ashore,  sir/'  said  the  man  he  addressed. 
"Some  friends  of  his  came  aboard  this  afternoon 
and  he's  gone  off  with  them  to  celebrate." 

There  was  a  grin  on  the  man's  face  as  he  spoke, 
and  this,  together  with  his  recollection  of  the  de- 
canter, left  no  illusions  in  Drew's  mind  as  to  the 
character  of  the  celebration. 

"Any  message  to  leave  for  the  captain,  sir?"  the 
man  inquired. 

"Nothing  important,"  returned  Drew  carelessly. 
"I  may  drop  around  and  see  him  to-morrow."  And 
he  blessed  the  belated  windlass  which  would  give 
him  a  reasonable  excuse  for  returning. 

But  even  though  the  captain  was  absent,  there 
were  other  things  at  hand  that  spoke  of  the  girl  with 
the  hazel  eyes.  There  was  the  place  where  she  had 
dropped  the  letters.  There  was  the  post  against 
which  she  had  leaned  as  she  watched  him  recover 
them.  And  there,  as  he  bent  over  the  edge  of  the 
pier,  he  saw  the  little  boat  that  had  played  its  part 
in  the  day's  happenings. 


Hard  Hit  27 

How  musical  her  voice  was !  And  she  had  smiled 
at  him  once — no,  twice !  Smiled  not  only  with  her 
lips  but  with  her  eyes. 

He  thought  of  her  as  he  went  slowly  uptown.  He 
thought  of  her  until  he  went  to  sleep  and  then  his 
thinking  changed  to  dreaming. 

Decidedly,  Tyke  was  not  the  only  one  who  was 
hard  hit  on  that  eventful  day. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    SHADOWS   OF    ROMANCE 

WHEN  Allen  Drew  opened  his  eyes  the  next 
morning,  he  was  conscious  of  an  unusual  feeling  of 
elation.  He  lay  for  a  moment  in  the  twilight  zone 
between  sleeping  and  waking,  seeking  the  reason. 
Then  in  a  flash  it  came  to  him. 

He  was  out  of  bed  in  a  twinkling.  Life  was  too 
full  and  rich  now  to  waste  it  in  sleep.  Yesterday 
morning  it  had  seemed  drab  and  commonplace. 
To-day  it  sparkled  with  prismatic  hues.  He  was  a 
new  man  in  a  new  world. 

He  found  himself  whistling  from  sheer  excess 
of  good  spirits  as  he  moved  about  the  room.  He 
hurried  through  his  shower  and  dressing  in  record 
time.  Then  he  despatched  his  breakfast  with  a 
speed  and  absent-mindedness  that  were  most  un- 
usual for  him  and  evoked  the  mild  astonishment  of 
his  landlady.  A  few  minutes  later  he  had  joined 
the  hurrying  throng  that  was  moving  toward  the 
nearest  subwav  station.  He  left  the  train  at  Ful- 

«/ 

ton  Street  and  surprised  Winters  by  appearing  at 
the  shop  a  half  hour  earlier  than  his  usual  time. 

There  were  two  reasons  for  pressing  haste  on 
this  morning.  The  moving  from  the  old  quarters 

28 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  29 

to  the  new  involved  an  amount  of  work  that  was 
appalling.  There  were  a  thousand  things  to  be 
done,  and  for  the  next  week  or  ten  days  the  force 
of  three  employees  must  work  at  top  speed.  Cur- 
rent business  would  have  to  be  attended  to  as  usual, 
and  in  addition  there  was  the  colossal  task  of  remov- 
ing the  contents  of  the  three  crowded  floors  from 
the  old  building  to  the  new. 

There  was  a  second  task  which,  in  Drew's  secret 
heart,  seemed  the  more  important.  That  was  to 
discover  the  address  of  the  girl  he  had  met  on  the 
pier  and  learn  what  he  could  about  her. 

In  the  first  flush  of  determination  this  had  seemed 
to  be  a  comparatively  easy  matter.  The  very  fact 
that  he  wanted  it  so  badly  seemed  to  guarantee  his 
success.  Such  difficulties  as  suggested  themselves 
he  waved  airily  aside.  No  young  Lochinvar  com- 
ing out  of  the  West  had  felt  more  certain  of  carry- 
ing off  his  Ellen  than  Allen  Drew  had  felt  the  night 
before  of  finding  Miss  Ruth  Adams.  But  when  he 
applied  his  mind  to  the  task  in  the  cold  light  of  day, 
it  did  ijot  seem  so  easy  and  he  was  hazy  as  to  the 
best  way  to  go  about  it. 

He  opened  his  desk,  and  before  looking  at  the 
mail  that  mutely  besought  his  attention,  he  reached 
for  the  huge  city  directory  and  opened  to  the  letter 
"A."  He  was  appalled  to  find  how  many  Adamses 
there  were.  There  were  dozens,  scores,  hundreds! 
Even  with  the  firm  and  corporation  names  elimi- 


30  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

nated,  the  individual  Adamses  were  legion.  And 
not  one  of  them  had  Ruth  before  it. 

This,  however,  he  had  hardly  expected.  She  was 
too  young  to  be  listed  separately,  and  would  prob- 
ably be  included  under  the  name  of  her  father  or 
her  mother. 

He  had  had  a  vague  idea  that,  if  there  were  not 
too  many  Adamses,  he  might  take  them  one  by  one 
and  by  discreet  inquiries  in  the  neighborhood  of 
each  find  out  if  the  family  included  a  young  lady 
named  Ruth.  If  he  succeeded,  that  would  be  a 
great  point  gained.  What  he  should  do  after  that 
he  would  have  been  puzzled  to  tell.  But  he  had  a 
desperate  hope  that,  hovering  in  the  vicinity,  some 
way,  somehow,  he  could  manage  to  secure  an 
introduction. 

But  now,  with  this  formidable  array  of  names 
before  him,  his  plan  vanished  into  thin  air.  Life 
was  too  short,  and  he  could  not  wait  for  eternity! 

And  how  did  he  know  that  she  lived  in  the  city 
at  all  ?  It  was  probable,  but  not  at  all  certain.  She 
might  simply  be  here  on  a  visit ;  and  for  all  he  knew 
her  permanent  home  might  be  Chicago  or  San 
Francisco. 

Clearly,  he  must  see  Captain  Peters  without  loss 
of  time.  The  girl  had  gone  aboard  his  bark,  and 
the  probability  was  that  her  errand  had  been  with 
him. 

He  looked  hastily  through  the  mail,  and  was  glad 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  31 

to  see  that  it  included  a  notification  from  the  freight 
department  of  the  railroad  that  a  windlass  con- 
signed to  "T.  Grimshaw"  had  arrived  and  was 
awaiting  his  orders. 

"I'll  just  drop  around  to  see  Peters  and  set  his 
mind  at  rest  about  that  windlass,''  he  said  to  Win- 
ters, reaching  for  his  hat. 

"I  thought  you  did  that  yesterday,"  replied 
Winters. 

"I  told  him  we  expected  it,"  said  Drew,  flushing 
a  little;  "but  he  may  be  worrying  about  it,  being 
delayed  on  the  way.  He's  an  old  customer  of  ours 
and  we  want  to  keep  on  the  right  side  of  him." 

Winters  looked  his  surprise  at  this  sudden  spasm 
of  business  anxiety,  but  said  nothing  further,  and 
Drew  hastened  down  to  the  Jones  Lane  pier  and 
boarded  the  Normandy.  But  again  he  was  doomed 
to  meet  with  disappointment. 

"Sorry,  sir,"  said  the  second  officer,  biting  off  a 
chew  from  a  plug  of  tobacco,  "but  the  skipper  can't 
be  seen  just  now.  Just  came  aboard  a  little  while 
ago  and  there  was  a  friend  on  either  side  of  him. 
You  know  how  it  is,"  and  he  winked.  "He's  below 
now,  sound  asleep,  and  'twould  be  as  much  as  my 
billet's  worth  to  disturb  him." 

"Well,"  Drew  said  thoughtfully,  "that  windlass 
he  ordered  has  arrived  and  I'll  see  that  it's  carted 
down  here  to-day.  But  there  was  another  matter 
I  wanted  to  speak  to  him  about." 


32  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Better  wait  a  day  or  two  if  it's  any  favor  you 
want  to  ask  the  old  man/'  advised  the  seaman.  "Let 
his  coppers  get  cooled  first.  A  better  nagivator  than 
Cap'n  Peters  never  stepped,  and  he  don't  lush  none 
'twixt  port  and  port;  but  he's  no  mamma's  angel 
child  when  his  coppers  is  hot,  believe  me !" 

"Thanks.  I'll  remember,"  Drew  said.  "Of 
course  you  did  not  notice  the  young  lady  who 
came  aboard  here  yesterday  afternoon  just  after  I 
left?" 

"Didn't  I,  though?"  responded  the  second  officer 
of  the  Normandy.  "My  eye !" 

"Do  you  know  who  she  is?"  blurted  out  Drew. 

"No,  sir.    But  the  skipper  does,  I  reckon.'* 

"All  right,"  Drew  said,  and  turned  to  descend  the 
plank  to  the  dock.  As  he  did  so  he  found  himself 
confronting  the  one-eyed  man  who  had  figured  in 
the  incident  on  the  dock  the  previous  afternoon. 

The  fellow's  countenance  was  raised  to  his  own 
as  Drew  came  down  the  plank,  and  the  latter  ob- 
tained a  good  view  of  the  scarred  face. 

It  was  almost  beardless,  and  even  the  brows 
were  so  light  and  scanty  that  they  lent  no  character 
to  the  remaining  shallow,  furtive  blue  eye.  The 
empty  socket  gave  a  horribly  grim  appearance  to 
the  whole  face. 

Momentary  as  Drew's  scrutiny  was,  he  saw  that 
the  one-eyed  man  was  intoxicated.  Not  desiring  to 
engage  in  a  controversy  with  a  stranger  in  that  con- 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  38 

ditioiL  he  would  have  passed  on  quickly,  but  the 
fellow  would  not  step  aside. 

"Just  let  me  pass,  will  you?"  Drew  said,  eyeing 
the  other  warily. 

"You  lubberly  swab!"  the  one-eyed  man  said 
thickly,  and  with  it  spat  out  a  vile  epithet  that  in- 
stantly raised  a  flame  of  hot  anger  in  Allen  Drew. 

He  plunged  down  the  plank,  his  fists  clenched 
and  his  eyes  ablaze.  The  one-eyed  man  was  by  no 
means  unsteady  on  his  legs;  he  met  the  charge  of 
the  young  fellow  boldly  enough. 

But  Drew  dodged  his  swing,  and  having  all  the 
push  of  his  descent  of  the  plank  behind  the  straight- 
arm  jolt  he  landed  on  the  other's  jaw,  the  impact 
was  terrific. 

"Wheel"  yelled  the  second  officer  of  the  Nor- 
mandy, leaning  on  the  rail,  an  interested  spectator. 
"That's  a  soaker!" 

Others  came  running  to  the  scene.  A  fight  will 
bring  a  crowd  quicker  than  any  other  happening. 

The  one-eyed  man  had  been  driven  back  against 
the  nearest  pile  of  freight.  Drew  was  after  him 
before  he  could  recover  from  that  first  blow,  and 
he  got  in  a  couple  of  other  punches  that  ended  the 
encounter — for  the  time  being,  at  least.  His  an- 
tagonist went  to  the  floor  of  the  dock  and  stayed 
there. 

"Beat  it,  'bo!"  advised  a  seaman  at  the  Nor- 
mandy's rail.  "Here  comes  the  cop." 


34  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Drew  accepted  the  advice  as  good,  dodged  around 
a  tier  of  freight,  and  so  escaped.  He  was  not  of  a 
quarrelsome  disposition;  yet  somehow  the  memory 
of  those  three  blows  he  had  struck  gave  him  a  deal 
of  satisfaction. 

"I  never  supposed  those  sparring  lessons  at  the 
gym  would  come  in  so  handy,"  he  thought,  hurrying 
officeward.  Then  he  chuckled.  "Yesterday  I  was 
grouching  because  nothing  ever  happened  to  me. 
And  look  at  it  now !  That  fellow  had  it  coming  to 
him,  that's  all.  I  wonder  who  he  is.  Like  enough 
I'll  never  see  him  again." 

But  he  was  never  more  mistaken  in  his  life  than 
in  this  surmise. 

Grimshaw  had  come  in  by  the  time  Drew  got 
back  to  the  shop,  and  was  busy  in  his  office.  Win- 
ters and  Sam  were  condoling  with  each  other  over 
the  amount  of  work  that  lay  before  them. 

"It's  a  whale  of  a  job,"  complained  Winters, 
looking  about  the  crowded  shop. 

"Ah  kin  feel  de  mis'ry  comin'  into  ma  back  ag'in," 
groaned  Sam,  who  had  formerly  been  a  piano 
mover,  but  had  been  obliged  to  seek  a  less  strenu- 
ous occupation  because)  of  having  wrenched  his 
back.  "Ah  suttinly  will  be  ready  fo'  de  hospital 
when  Ah  gits  t'rough  wid  dis  movin'." 

"Oh,  you're  just  plain  lazy,  Sam,"  chaffed  Drew. 
"It  won't  be  half  so  bad  as  you  think.  We'll  have 
a  gang  of  truckmen  and  their  helpers  to  do  most 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  35 

of  the  heavy  work.  But  I  suppose  we've  got  our 
hands  full,  packing  these  instruments  so  they  won't 
be  broken  and  scratched.  And  'hustle'  is  the  word 
from  now  on." 

"But  think  of  the  junk  upstairs!"  groaned  Win- 
ters. "Why  doesn't  the  old  man  call  in  the  Salva- 
tion Army  and  give  them  the  whole  bunch  on  con- 
dition that  they  take  it  away?  He's  got  the  accu- 
mulation of  twenty  years  on  that  top  floor,  and  it's 
not  worth  the  powder  to  blow  it  up.  It  beats  me 
why  Tyke  keeps  all  that  old  clutter." 

"It  doesn't  seem  worth  house  room,"  admitted 
Drew;  "and  now  that  we're  moving,  perhaps  we  can 
get  rid  of  a  lot  of  the  stuff.  I'll  speak  to  Tyke 
about  it.  But  let's  forget  the  upper  floors  and  get 
busy  on  this  one.  There's  a  man's  job  right  here." 

"A  giant's  job,  to  my  way  of  thinking,"  grumbled 
Winters,  as  he  looked  around  him. 

It  was  indeed  a  varied  and  extensive  stock  that 
was  carried  on  the  main  floor.  To  name  it  all  would 
have  been  to  enumerate  almost  everything  that  is 
used  on  shipboard,  whether  driven  by  wind  or 
by  steam.  Thermometers,  barometers,  binoculars, 
flanges,  couplings,  carburetors,  lamps,  lanterns,  fog 
horns,  pumps,  check  valves,  steering  wheels,  galley 
stoves,  fire  buckets,  hand  grenades,  handspikes, 
shaftings,  lubricants,  wire  coils,  rope,  sea  chests, 
life  preservers,  spar  varnish,  copper  paint,  pulleys, 
ensigns,  twine,  clasp  knives,  boat  hooks,  chronom- 


36  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

eters,  ship  clocks,  rubber  boots,  fur  caps,  splicing 
compounds,  friction  tape,  cement,  wrenches,  hinges, 
screws,  oakum,  oars,  anchors — it  was  no  wonder 
that  the  force  quailed  at  sight  of  the  work  that  lay 
before  them. 

They  set  to  work  smartly  and  had  already  made 
notable  progress  when  Tyke  stepped  out  of  the 
private  office.  He  looked  around  with  a  melan- 
choly smile. 

"Dismantling  the  old  ship,  I  see,"  he  observed  to 
Drew. 

"Right  on  the  job,"  replied  the  young  man,  glad 
to  note  that  Tyke  seemed  to  have  somewhat  recov- 
ered his  equanimity  after  the  trying  events  of  the 
day  before. 

Grimshaw  watched  them  for  a  while,  making  a 
suggestion  now  and  then  but  leaving  most  of  the 
direction  of  the  work  to  his  chief  clerk  while  he 
ruminated  over  the  coming  change. 

At  last  he  roused  himself. 

"Better  leave  things  to  Winters  now  and  come 
upstairs  with  me,"  he  said  to  Drew.  "There's  a  heap 
of  stuff  up  there,  and  we  want  to  figure  on  where 
we're  going  to  stow  it  all  in  the  new  place." 

Drew  followed  him  and  they  mounted  to  the  sec- 
ond floor.  Here  the  surplus  stock  was  held  in  re- 
serve, and  there  was  nothing  that  could  be  dis- 
pensed with.  But  the  third  floor  held  a  bewildering 
collection  that  made  it  a  veritable  curiosity  shop. 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  37 

When  they  reached  this,  Drew  looked  about  and 
was  inclined  to  agree  with  Winters  in  classifying 
it  as  "junk." 

All  the  discarded  and  defective  stock  of  the  last 
twenty  years  had  found  a  refuge  here.  And  in 
addition  to  this  debris  there  was  a  pile  of  sailors' 
boxes  and  belongings  that  reached  to  the  roof. 
Tyke  had  a  warm  spot  in  his  heart  for  sailormen, 
especially  if  they  chanced  to  have  sailed  with  him 
on  any  of  his  numerous  voyages;  and  when  they 
were  stranded  and  turned  to  him  for  help  they 
never  met  with  refusal. 

In  some  cases  this  help  had  taken  the  form  ot 
money  loans  or  gifts.  At  other  times  he  had  taken 
care  of  the  chests  containing  their  meagre  belong- 
ings, while  they  were  waiting  for  a  chance  to  ship, 
or  perhaps  were  compelled  to  go  to  a  hospital. 

In  the  course  of  a  score  of  years,  these  boxes  had 
increased  in  number  until  now  they  usurped  a  great 
part  of  the  space  on  that  upper  floor.  Drew  had 
often  been  on  the  point  of  suggesting  that  they  be 
got  rid  of,  but  as  long  as  they  did  not  encroach  on 
the  space  actually  needed  by  the  business  this 
thought  had  remained  unspoken.  Now,  when  they 
were  about  to  move  and  needed  to  have  their  work 
lightened  as  much  as  possible,  the  time  seemed 
opportune  to  dispose  of  the  problem. 

Tyke  listened  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  as  Allen 
repeated  the  suggestion  of  Winters  that  the  con- 


38  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

tents  of  the  floor  be  hold  for  what  it  would  bring 
or  given  to  the  Salvation  Army. 

"Might  be  a  good  idea,  I  s'pose,"  he  remarked. 
''Them  old  things  ain't  certainly  doing  any  one 
any  good.  An'  yet,  somehow,  I've  never  been  able 
to  bring  myself  to  the  point  of  getting  rid  of  'em. 
Seems  as  though  they  were  a  sort  of  trust.  Though 
I  s'pose  most  of  the  boys  they  belonged  to  are  dead 
and  gone  long  ago." 

"I  don't  imagine  there's  anything  really  valuable 
in  any  of  the  chests,"  remarked  Drew. 

"No,  I  don't  think  the  hull  kit  an'  boodle  of  'em 
is  worth  twenty  dollars,"  acquiesced  the  old  man. 
"Although  you  can't  always  tell.  Sometimes  the 
richest  things  are  found  in  onlikely  places.  But  I 
kind  of  hate  to  part  with  these  old  boxes.  Almost 
every  one  of  'em  has  something  about  it  that  re- 
minds me  of  old  times. 

"You  know  I  ain't  much  of  a  reading  man," 
Grimshaw  went  on,  "an'  these  boxes  make  the  only 
library  I  have.  I  come  up  here  an'  moon  around 
sometimes  when  I  git  sick  of  living  ashore,  an' 
these  old  chests  seem  to  talk  to  me.  They  smell  of 
the  sea  an'  tell  of  the  sea,  an'  each  one  of  'em  has 
some  history  connected  with  it." 

Drew  scented  a  story,  and  as  Tyke's  tales,  while 
sometimes  garrulous,  were  always  interesting,  he 
forebore  to  interrupt  and  disposed  himself  to  listen. 

"Now  take  that  box  over  there,  for  instance," 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  39 

continued  Tyke,  pointing  to  a  stained  and  mildewed 
chest  which  bore  all  the  marks  of  great  age  and 
rough  handling.  "That  belonged  to  Manuel 
Gomez,  dead  ten  year  since.  He  went  down  in  the 
Nancy  Boardman  when  she  was  rounding  the  Cape. 
Big,  dark,  upstanding  man  he  was,  an'  one  of  the 
best  bo' suns  that  ever  piped  a  watch  to  quarters 
in  a  living  gale. 

"An"  he  was  as  good  a  fighting  man  as  he  was 
sailor.  Nobody  I'd  rather  have  at  my  side  in  a 
scrap.  He  was  right  up  in  front  with  me  when 
those  Malay  pirates  boarded  us  off  the  Borneo 
coast.  Those  brown  devils  came  over  the  side  like 
a  tidal  wave,  an'  no  matter  how  many  we  downed, 
they  still  kep'  coming  on. 

"It  was  nip  an'  tuck  for  a  while,  but  we  were 
fighting  for  our  lives,  an'  we  beat  'em  off  at  last  an' 
sent  what  was  left  of  'em  tumbling  into  their  praus. 
As  it  was,  they  sliced  off  two  of  my  fingers,  an'  one 
fellow  would  have  buried  that  crooked  kriss  of  his 
in  my  neck  if  Manuel  hadn't  cut  him  down  jest  in 
time. 

"Of  course,  I  was  grateful  to  him  for  saving  my 
life,  an'  he  sailed  with  me  for  several  voyages  after 
that.  That  scrap  with  the  pirates  never  seemed  to 
do  him  an  awful  lot  of  good.  He  had  pirates  on 
the  brain  anyway.  You  see,  he  come  from  Trinidad 
on  the  Spanish  Main,  where  the  old  pirates  used  to 
do  their  plundering  an'  butchering,  an'  I  s'pose  he'd 


40  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

heard  talk  about  their  doings  ever  since  he  was  a 
boy. 

"He  used  to  talk  about  'em  whenever  he  got  a 
chance.  Of  course,  discipline  being  what  it  is  on 
board  ship,  he  couldn't  talk  as  free  with  me  as  I 
s'pose  he  did  with  his  mates.  But  once  in  a  while 
he'd  reel  off  a  yarn,  an'  then  he'd  hint  kind  of  mys- 
terious like  that  he  knew  where  some  of  the  old 
Pirates'  doubloons  were  buried  an'  that  some  day, 
if  luck  was  with  him,  he'd  be  a  rich  man. 

"I'd  heard  so  much  of  that  kind  o'  stuff  in  my 
time  that  I  used  to  laugh  at  him,  an'  then  he'd  get 
peeved — that  is,  as  peeved  as  he  dared  to  be,  me 
being  skipper.  But  that  wouldn't  last  long,  and 
after  a  while  he'd  be  at  it  again.  Jest  seemed  as 
though  he  couldn't  get  away  from  the  thought  of  it." 

"Perhaps  there  was  something  in  it  after  all," 
said  Drew,  to  whom  just  now  anything  that  savored 
of  adventure  appealed  more  strongly  than  usual. 

"More  likely  his  brain  was  a  bit  touched,"  replied 
Grimshaw  carelessly.  "I  lost  sight  of  him  for  sev- 
eral years  when  I  quit  the  sea.  But  just  before  he 
went  on  his  last  voyage,  he  wanted  me  to  take 
charge  of  this  chest  of  his  until  he  returned.  Said 
he  didn't  dare  trust  it  with  any  one  else. 

"  'All  right,  Manuel.  No  diamonds  or  anything 
of  that  kind  in  it,  I  s'pose?'  I  says  with  a  laugh 
and  a  wink. 

"But  he  didn't  crack  a  smile. 


The  Shadows  of  Romance  41 

"  'Somet'in'  wort'  more  zan  diamon's/  he  said 
solemnly,  an'  went  away.  I  never  saw  him  again, 
an'  a  few  months  later  I  heard  of  the  Nancy  Board- 
man's  going  down  with  all  hands." 

"Why  not  examine  the  chest?"  cried  Drew 
eagerly. 

The  recital  of  the  grizzled  veteran  had  fired  his 
blood.  All  that  he  had  ever  read  or  heard  of  the 
old  buccaneers  came  back  to  him.  In  fancy  he  saw 
them  all,  Avery,  Kidd,  Bartholomew  Roberts,  Stede 
Bonnet,  Blackbeard  Morgan,  the  whole  black- 
hearted and  blood-stained  crew  of  daring  leaders 
ranging  up  and  down  the  waters  of  the  Spanish 
Main,  plundering,  sacking,  killing,  boarding  the 
stately  galleons  of  Spain,  sending  peaceful  merchant 
ships  to  the  bottom,  wasting  their  gains  in  wild  or- 
gies ashore  capturing  Panama  and  Maracaibo  amid 
torrents  of  blood  and  flame.  Silks  and  jewels  and 
brocades  and  pearls  and  gold!  From  the  whole 
world  they  had  taken  tribute,  until  that  world — tried 
at  last  beyond  bearing — had  risen  in  its  might  and 
ground  the  whole  nest  of  vipers  beneath  its  wrath- 
ful heel. 

Tyke  looked  at  the  young  man  quizzically. 

"Thinking  of  the  pirate  doubloons,  Allen?" 

"Why  not?"  Drew  defended  himself,  albeit  a  lit- 
tle sheepishly.  "Perhaps  the  key  to  treasure  is  right 
over  there  in  that  old  chest  of  Manuel's." 

Then  Tyke  laughed  outright. 


CHAPTER  V 

A  SETBACK 

"I  WOULDN'T  bank  on  finding  treasure,"  Grim- 
shaw  advised.  "What  those  old  pirates  got  they 
spent  as  they  went  along.  They  warn't  of  the  sav- 
ing kind.  'Easy  come,  easy  go'  was  their  motto." 

"That's  true  enough  of  the  majority  of  them,  no 
doubt,"  conceded  Drew.  "The  comon  sailors  got 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  loot  anyway.  But  some 
of  the  leaders  were  shrewd  and  far-sighted  men. 
They  didn't  look  forward  to  dying  as  pirates.  They 
wanted  to  save  enough  to  buy  their  pardons  later 
on  and  live  the  rest  of  their  lives  ashore  in  peace 
and  luxury.  What  was  more  natural  than  that  they 
should  hide  their  shares  of  the  plunder  on  some  of 
the  little  islands  they  were  familiar  with?  They 
wouldn't  dare  to  keep  it  on  their  ships,  where  their 
throats  might  be  cut  at  any  moment  if  their  crews 
knew  there  was  treasure  aboard." 

"That's  true  enough,"  admitted  his  employer. 

"And  if  they  did  bury  it,"  pursued  the  young 
man,  encouraged  by  this  concession,  "why  shouldn't 
a  good  deal  of  it  be  there  yet  ?  Gold  and  silver  and 
jewels  don't  perish  from  being  kept  underground. 
And  as  most  of  the  pirates  died  in  battle,  they  had 

42 


A  Setback  43 

no  chance  to  go  back  and  dig  the  plunder  up  from 
where  they  had  buried  it." 

"But  some  of  the  crews  must  have  been  in  the 
secret,"  objected  Tyke,  "an'  after  the  death  of  their 
captains  what  was  to  hinder  them  from  going  after 
the  doubloons  an'  getting  'em." 

"There  might  have  been  a  good  many  reasons," 
answered  Drew.  "In  the  first  place,  the  captains 
seem  to  have  had  a  cheerful  little  habit  of  killing 
the  men  who  did  the  digging  and  leaving  their  skele- 
tons to  guard  the  treasure-chests.  And  even  when 
that  didn't  happen,  what  chance  would  the  common 
sailor  have  had  of  going  after  the  loot  ?  He  couldn't 
have  got  a  ship  without  giving  away  his  secret,  and 
the  minute  he'd  given  it  away  his  own  life  wouldn't 
have  been  worth  a  copper  cent. 

"And  then,  too,"  went  on  Drew,  warming  to  his 
subject,  "look  at  all  the  traditions  there  are  on  the 
subject.  Where  there  is  so  much  smoke  there  must 
be  some  fire.  A  single  rumor  wouldn't  amount  to 
much,  but  when  that  rumor  persists  and  is  multi- 
plied by  a  thousand  others  until  it  becomes  a  settled 
belief,  there  must  be  something  in  it.  The  rumors 
are  like  so  many  spokes  of  a  wheel  all  pointing  to 
a  single  hub,  and  that  hub  is — treasure !" 

"I  declare!  you're  getting  all  het  up  about  it," 
grinned  Tyke,  as  Drew  paused  for  breath.  "But 
all  the  same,  my  boy,  you  want  to  get  back  to  earth. 
You've  got  as  good  a  chance  of  finding  hidden 


44  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

treasure  as  I  have  of  taking  first  prize  in  a  beauty 
show." 

"What's  the  matter  with  taking  a  look  in  Man- 
uel's box  and  finding  out  what  it  was  he  was  so  anx- 
ious about?"  questioned  Drew,  a  little  dashed  by 
Tyke's  skepticism. 

"Well,  perhaps  we  shall  some  time  later  on,"  con- 
ceded Tyke,  somewhat  doubtfully.  We  can't  think 
of  doing  it  until  we  git  moved  an'  settled.  We've 
got  enough  on  hand  now  to  keep  us  as  busy  as  ants 
for  a  good  many  days  to  come." 

Drew  was  disappointed,  but  as  his  employer  had 
spoken  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  said,  and  he 
regretfully  followed  Grimshaw  to  the  ground  floor. 

The  chronicle  of  his  life  for  the  rest  of  that  day 
and  the  two  following  could  be  summed  up  in  the 
one  word,  work — hard,  breathless,  unceasing  work. 
A  reminder  had  come  from  Blake  that  the  moving 
must  be  expedited,  and  from  Tyke  himself  down  to 
Sam  no  one  was  exempt. 

Not  that  the  thought  of  Ruth  Adams  was  ever 
for  long  out  of  Drew's  mind.  But  the  colors  had 
grown  more  sombre  in  his  rainbow  of  hope.  He 
had  snatched  a  few  moments  from  his  noon  hour 
on  the  second  day  to  run  over  to  the  Normandy,  and 
although  this  time  he  saw  Captain  Peters,  it  was 
only  to  learn  that  he  could  expect  no  help  from  that 
quarter. 

The  captain  was  curt  and  irritable  after  his  pro- 


A  Setback  45 

longed  drinking  bout,  and  answered  chiefly  in  mono- 
syllables. No,  he  had  not  seen  any  young  girl  come 
aboard  two  days  before.  Did  not  know  of  any  one 
who  had. 

"Now  you  git  out,"  snarled  Peters  in  conclusion. 
"You'll  git  no  information  here.  Make  no  mistake 
about  that !" 

Drew  was  startled  by  the  change  in  Captain 
Peters'  manner  and  look.  The  skipper  glared  at 
him  as  though  Drew  were  a  strange  dog  trying  to 
get  the  other's  bone.  The  young  man's  temper  was 
instantly  rasped;  but  Peters  was  a  considerably 
older  man  than  he,  and  he  seemed  to  be  laboring 
under  some  misapprehension. 

"I  assure  you,  Captain  Peters,"  Drew  said,  "my 
reasons  for  asking  were  perfectly  honorable." 

"You  needn't  assure  me  of  anything.  Just  git 
out!"  roared  the  skipper  of  the  Normandy;  and,  see- 
ing that  there  was  nothing  but  a  fight  in  prospect  if 
he  remained,  the  young  man  withdrew.  On  deck 
he  saw  the  second  officer,  and  that  person  winked  at 
him  knowingly  and  followed  him  to  the  plank. 

"Old  man  on  the  rampage?"  he  asked. 

"Seems  to  be,"  said  the  confused  Drew. 

"Chance  was,  that  that  Bug-eye  you  knocked  out 
the  other  day  is  a  pertic'lar  friend  of  the  skipper's. 
But  gosh !  you're  some  boy  with  your  mits." 

Drew  might  again  have  tried  to  find  out  from  this 
fellow  about  the  girl,  but  he  shrank  from  making 


46  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

her  the  subject  of  any  general  inquiry  or  discus- 
sion. To  him  she  was  something  to  be  kept  sacred. 
His  heart  was  a  shrine  with  her  as  its  image,  and 
before  that  image  he  burned  imaginary  tapers  with 
the  fervor  of  a  devotee. 

One  thought  came  to  him  with  a  suddenness  that 
made  him  quake  Could  it  be  that  she  was  already 
married  ? 

He  tried  to  remember  whether  "Mrs."  or  "Miss" 
had  preceded  the  name  on  the  letter.  For  the  life 
of  him  he  could  not  recall.  He  had  so  utterly  as- 
sumed that  she  was  unmarried,  on  the  occasion  of 
their  meeting,  that  any  thought  to  the  contrary  had 
not  even  occurred  to  him  then.  He  was  somewhat 
comforted  by  the  probability  that,  had  she  been  mar- 
ried, her  husband's  name  or  initials  would  have  fol- 
lowed the  "Mrs."  instead  of  her  given  name.  Yet, 
this  was  a  custom  that  was  becoming  as  much  hon- 
ored in  the  breach  as  in  the  observance,  and  the 
use  of  her  own  given  name  would  not  be  at  all 
conclusive. 

Then,  with  a  great  wave  of  relief,  the  memory 
came  to  him  that  he  had  placed  the  letters  in  her 
left  hand  and  had  noted  that  she  had  no  rings  on 
that  hand  at  all  The  thought  had  come  to  him  at 
the  time  that  no  ornament  could  make  those  taper 
fingers  prettier  than  they  were. 

His  heart  leaped  with  elation.  She  was  unmar- 
ried then!  She  wore  no  wedding  ring! 


A  Setback  47 

There  was  still  greater  cause  for  jubilation.  She 
wore  no  ring  of  any  kind!  She  was  not  even 
engaged ! 

She  probably  was  somewhere  in  this  teeming  city. 
Many  times  their  paths  might  almost  cross,  perhaps 
had  already  almost  crossed  since  that  first  meeting 
on  the  pier. 

Fantastic  musings  took  possession  of  him.  Who 
was  it  that,  in  a  burst  of  hyperbole,  said  that  if  one 
took  up  his  station  at  Broadway  and  Thirty-fourth 
Street,  he  would,  if  he  stayed  there  long  enough, 
see  everybody  in  the  world  go  past?  Or  was  it 
Kipling  who  said  that  of  Port  Said  ? 

Where  should  he  take  his  stand?  What  places 
should  he  frequent  with  the  greatest  likelihood  of 
meeting  her?  Theatres,  the  opera,  art  galleries, 
railway  stations,  Central  Park? 

He  recalled  himself  from  these  fantasies  with  a 
wrench.  How  foolish  and  fruitless  they  were !  He 
was  no  man  of  leisure,  to  do  as  he  pleased.  He  was 
bound  as  securely  to  his  desk  as  the  genie  was  to 
the  lamp  of  Aladdin,  and  he  must  answer  its  call 
just  as  unfailingly. 

So,  alternately  wretched  and  elated,  tasting  the 
torments  as  well  as  the  joys  of  this  experience  that 
had  revolutionized  his  life,  he  tore  desperately  into 
his  work,  but  with  the  girl's  face  ever  before  him. 

On  the  third  day  after  Tyke  had  received  notice 
to  move,  the  preparations  were  far  advanced.  Deli- 


48  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

cate  instruments  had  been  carefully  Wrapped ;  heav- 
ier objects  had  been  clothed  with  burlap;  truckmen 
were  notified  to  be  ready  on  the  following  day. 
Tyke  and  Drew  had  made  frequent  pilgrimages  to 
the  new  place  and  had  arranged  where  the  stock 
could  be  placed  to  the  best  advantage.  New  bills 
and  letterheads  had  been  ordered  from  the  printers, 
and  even  the  old  sign  over  the  door,  which  Tyke 
obstinately  refused  to  leave  behind,  had  been  taken 
down  to  have  the  old  number  painted  out  and  the 
new  one  substituted. 

There  was  no  elevator  in  the  old  building.  Drew 
had  often  urged  Grimshaw  to  have  one  installed, 
but  the  old  man  was  dead  set  against  any  such  "new- 
fangled contraptions."  So,  everything  from  the 
upper  lofts,  when  it  was  called  for,  had  to  be  car 
ried  or  rolled  down  the  rickety  stairs,  a  proceeding 
which  often  roused  rumbles  of  rebellion  in  the 
breast  of  Sam,  upon  whom  fell  the  brunt  of  the 
heavy  work. 

He  had  spent  most  of  that  afternoon  in  getting 
down  the  boxes  from  the  third  floor  so  that  they 
might  be  within  easier  reach  of  the  truckmen  when 
the  moving  should  begin.  He  was  on  his  way  down 
with  one  of  them,  perspiring  profusely  and  tired 
from  the  work  that  had  gone  before,  when,  as  he 
neared  the  lowest  step,  he  slipped  and  dropped  his 
burden. 

He  was  fortunate  enough  to  scramble  out  of  the 


A  Setback  49 

way  of  the  box  and  thus  escape  injury.  But  the 
box  itself  came  to  the  floor  with  a  crash,  and  split 
open. 

Drew  and  Winters  sprang  to  the  help  of  the  por- 
ter, and  were  relieved  to  find  that  he  was  not  hurt. 
He  rose  to  his  feet,  his  black  face  a  picture  of 
consternation. 

"Dat  ole  mis'ry  in  ma  back  done  cotched  me  jes' 
when  Ah  got  to  de  las'  step,"  he  explained.  "Ah 
hope  dey  ain't  much  damage  done  to  dat  'er  box." 

"Pretty  badly  done  up,  it  seems  to  me,"  remarked 
Winters,  as  he  surveyed  the  broken  chest  critically. 

"Never  mind,  Sam,"  consoled  Drew.  "It  wasn't 
your  fault  and  the  old  box  wasn't  of  much  account 
anyway." 

Just  then  Tyke  thrust  his  head  out  of  his  office  to 
learn  the  meaning  of  the  crash.  At  the  sight  of  the 
broken  box  he  came  into  the  shop. 

"How  did  this  happen?"  he  asked. 

"Ah  couldn't  help  it,  Mistah  Grimshaw,"  said 
Sam  ruefully.  "Ma  back  jes'  nacherly  give  way, 
an  Ah  had  to  let  go.  Ah'm  pow'ful  sorry,  sah." 

Sam  was  a  favorite  with  the  old  man,  who  re- 
frained from  scolding  him  but  stood  a  moment 
looking  curiously  at  the  box. 

"Carry  it  into  the  office,"  he  said  at  last  to  Sam. 
"And  you,  Allen,  come  along." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  BROKEN  CHEST 

SAM  lifted  the  big  chest,  and,  very  carefully  this 
time  to  make  amends  for  his  previous  dereliction, 
carried  it  into  the  private  office.  He  placed  it  on 
two  chairs  that  his  employer  indicated  and  then 
withdrew,  closing  the  door  softly  behind  him  and 
rejoicing  at  having  got  off  so  easily. 

"Well,  Allen,"  remarked  Tyke,  wiping  his  glasses 
and  replacing  them  on  the  bridge  of  his  nose, 
"you're  going  to  get  your  wish  sooner  than  either 
one  of  us  expected." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Drew  wonderingly. 

"Don't  you  see  anything  familiar  about  this  box?" 
replied  Tyke,  answering  a  question  in  Yankee 
fashion  by  asking  one. 

"I  don't  know  that  I  do,"  responded  the  other. 
Then,  as  he  bent  over  to  examine  the  broken  chest 
more  closely,  he  corrected  himself. 

"Why,  yes  I  do!"  he  cried  eagerly.  "Isn't  this 
the  one  you  pointed  out  to  me  the  other  day  as  be- 
longing to  the  man  who  fought  with  you  against 
the  Malays?" 

"That's  it,"  confirmed  Tyke.  "It's  Manuel  Go- 
mez's box.  Queer,"  he  went  on  reflectively,  "that 
of  all  the  chests  there  were  in  that  loft  the  only  one 
we  thought  of  looking  in  should  burst  open  at  our 
very  feet.  If  I  was  superstitious"  (here  Drew 

So 


The  Broken  Chest  51 

smothered  a  smile,  for  he  knew  that  Tyke  was  noth- 
ing if  not  superstitious),  "I  might  think  there  was 
some  meaning  in  it.  But  of  course,"  he  added  has- 
tily, "we  know  there  isn't." 

"Of  course,"  acquiesced  the  younger  man. 

Tyke  seemed  rather  disappointed  at  this  ready 
assent. 

"Well,  anyway,  now  that  it  has  opened  right 
under  our  noses,  so  to  speak,  we'll  look  into  it.  I 
guess  we've  got  far  enough  ahead  with  our  moving 
to  take  the  time." 

Drew,  who  was  burning  with  curiosity  and  im- 
patience, agreed  with  him  heartily. 

The  chest  had  split  close  to  the  lock,  so  that  it  was 
an  easy  matter  after  a  minute  or  two  of  manipula- 
tion to  throw  the  cover  back. 

A  musty,  discolored  coat  lay  on  top,  and  Tyke 
was  just  about  to  lift  this  out  when  Winters  stuck 
his  head  into  the  office. 

"Some  one  to  see  you,  sir,"  he  announced. 

Tyke  gave  a  little  grunt  of  impatience. 

"Tell  him  I'm  busy,"  he  snapped.  Then  he  caught 
himself  up.  "Wait  a  minute,"  he  said.  "Did  he 
tell  you  his  name  ?" 

"No,  sir,"  returned  Winters.  "But  I'll  find  out." 
In  a  moment  he  was  back.  "Captain  Rufus  Hamil- 
ton, he  says." 

The  petulant  expression  on  Grimshaw's  face 
changed  instantly  to  one  of  pleasure. 


52  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Bring  him  right  in,"  he  ordered. 

Drew,  thinking  that  Grimshaw  would  wish  to  see 
his  friend  alone,  rose  to  follow  Winters. 

"I  suppose  we'll  put  this  off  until  after  he's  gone," 
he  remarked. 

But  his  employer  motioned  to  him  to  remain. 

"Stay  right  where  you  are,"  he  directed.  ''Cap'n 
Rufe  is  one  of  the  best  friends  I  have,  and  I'm  glad 
he  came  jest  now." 

The  door  opened  again,  and  Winders  ushered  in 
a  powerfully  built  man  who  seemed  to  be  about 
fifty  years  of  age.  He  had  piercing  blue  eyes,  a 
straight  nose  with  wide  nostrils,  and  a  square  jaw, 
about  which  were  lines  that  spoke  of  decision  and 
the  habit  of  command.  His  face  was  bronzed  by 
exposure  to  the  weather,  and  his  brown  hair  was 
graying  at  the  temples.  There  was  something  open 
and  sincere  about  the  man  that  caused  Drew  to  like 
him  at  once. 

The  newcomer  stepped  briskly  forward,  and  Tyke 
met  him  half  way,  gripping  his  hand  in  the  warmest 
kind  of  welcome. 

"Well  met,  Cap'n!"  cried  Tyke.  "I  haven't  seen 
you  in  a  dog's  age.  I  was  jest  wondering  the  other 
day  what  had  become  of  you.  There's  nobody  in 
the  world  I'd  rather  see.  What  good  wind  blew 
you  to  this  port?" 

"I'm  just  as  glad  to  see  you,  Tyke,"  replied  the 
visitor,  with  equal  heartiness.  "I've  been  in  the 


The  Broken  Chest  53 

China  trade  for  the  last  few  years,  with  Frisco  as 
my  home  port.  You  can  be  sure  that  if  I'd  been 
hailing  from  New  York  I'd  have  been  in  to  see  you 
every  time  I  came  into  the  harbor." 

Tyke  introduced  Drew  to  the  newcomer,  and  then 
the  two  friends  settled  down  to  an  exchange  of 
reminiscences  that  seemed  sure  to  be  prolonged  for 
the  rest  of  the  afternoon. 

After  a  while  Captain  Hamilton  leaned  back  to 
light  a  cigar,  and  in  the  momentary  flagging  of  con- 
versation that  ensued  while  he  was  getting  it  to 
going  well,  his  gaze  fell  on  the  open  chest. 

"What  have  you  got  here?"  he  asked  with  a 
smile.  "Looks  like  a  sailor's  dunnage." 

"And  that's  jest  what  it  is,"  answered  Tyke,  re- 
called to  the  work  on  which  he  had  been  engaged 
when  the  captain's  coming  had  interrupted.  "I 
declare !  your  visit  put  it  clean  out  of  my  head.  It's 
the  box  that  used  to  belong  to  Manuel,  that  old 
bo' sun  of  mine  that  I  guess  I've  told  you  about  in 
some  of  my  yarns.  The  one  that  was  with  me  off 
Borneo  when  I  lost  these  two  fingers." 

"That  run-in  you  had  with  the  Malays?"  re- 
turned the  captain.  "Yes,  I  remember  your  telling 
me  about  him.  Saved  your  life,  I  think  you  said, 
when  one  of  the  beggars  was  going  to  knife  you." 

"That's  the  one,"  confirmed  Grimshaw.  "He  was 
shipwrecked  later  off  the  Horn.  He  left  his  box 
here  with  me  to  take  care  of  for  him." 


54  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

"Seems  to  be  pretty  well  broken  tip." 

"The  porter  dropped  it  coming  downstairs,"  ex- 
plained Drew. 

"You  had  it  brought  in  here  to  save  room,  I  sup- 
pose," said  the  captain.  "I  noticed  that  you  were 
all  cluttered  up  outside." 

"Why,  it  wasn't  that  exactly,"  replied  Tyke, 
slightly  embarrassed.  "You  see,  Allen  an'  I  were 
rummaging  around  in  the  top  loft  the  other  day, 
an'  among  other  things  our  eyes  fell  on  this  box. 
That  started  me  off  yarning  about  the  tight  places 
Manuel  an'  I  had  been  in  together,  an'  how  he'd 
hinted  that  some  day  he'd  be  rich.  Then  I  told 
Allen  of  how  Manuel  said,  when  he  left  his  box  with 
me,  that  there  was  something  in  it  worth  more'n 
diamonds  an'  then " 

"Yes,  I  can  guess  the  rest,"  said  Captain  Hamil- 
ton, with  a  quiet  smile.  "And  then  you  both  got  a 
hankering  to  see  what  was  in  the  box." 

"Allen  did,"  admitted  Tyke,  'an'  I  ain't  denying 
that  my  fingers  itched  a  little  too.  But  I  put  it  off 
until  we  had  got  moved  into  our  new  place.  Now, 
didn't  I,  Allen?"  he  demanded  virtuously. 

Drew  assented  smilingly. 

"Why  didn't  you  wait  then?"  gibed  the  captain. 

"We  would  have,"  affirmed  Grimshaw  eagerly, 
conscious  that  here  at  last  he  was  on  firm  ground, 
"but  that  black  rascal,  Sam,  the  porter,  dropped  the 
box  on  his  way  downstairs  an*  it  split  wide  open, 


The  Broken  Chest  55 

as  you  see.  If  I  was  superstitious "  here  he 

glared  challengingly  at  both  of  his  listeners,  who  by 
an  effort  kept  their  faces  grave,  "I'd  sure  think  it 
was  meant  that  we  should  look  into  it  right  away. 
What  do  you  say,  Cap'n  Rufe?" 

"I  agree  with  you,"  replied  the  captain.  'The 
man  is  dead,  and  the  box  is  yours  by  right  of  stor- 
age if  nothing  else.  This  Manuel  didn't  have  wife 
or  children  that  you  know  of,  did  he?" 

"Nary  one,"  responded  Grimshaw.  "When  he'd 
been  drinking  too  much  he  used  to  cry  sometimes 
an'  say  that  he  hadn't  a  relative  in  the  world  to  care 
whether  he  lived  or  died." 

"That  being  the  case,  heave  ahead,"  advised  the 
captain.  "You  don't  owe  anything  to  the  living  or 
the  dead  to  keep  you  from  finding  out  all  you  want 
to  know." 

Reinforced  by  this  opinion,  the  old  man  again 
lifted  the  coat  from  the  top  of  the  box. 

What  lay  beneath  was  a  curious  medley  of  articles 
such  as  might  have  been  gathered  at  various  times 
by  a  sailor  who  was  familiar  with  all  the  ports  of 
the  world.  Mingled  in  with  old  trousers  and  boots 
and  caps,  were  curiously  tinted  shells,  clasp  knives 
with  broken  blades,  grotesque  images  of  heathen 
gods,  a  tarantula  and  a  centipede  preserved  in  a 
small  jar  of  alcohol,  miraculously  saved  from 
breakage. 

But  what  especially  attracted  their  attention  in 


56  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

the  midst  of  this  miscellaneous  riffraff  was  a  small 
cedar  box,  about  eight  inches  long  by  six  inches 
wide  and  deep.  It  was  heavily  carved,  and  was 
secured  by  a  lock  of  unusual  size  and  strength. 

"Wonder  if  this  is  the  thing  that  was  worth 
more'n  diamonds,"  grunted  Tyke,  with  a  careless- 
ness that  was  too  elaborate  not  to  be  assumed. 

"It  must  be  that,  if  anything,"  replied  Captain 
Hamilton,  who  had  let  his  cigar  go  out  and  was 
now  vigorously  chewing  the  stub. 

Drew  said  nothing,  but  his  cheeks  were  flushed 
and  his  eyes  brighter  than  usual. 

Grimshaw  fumbled  with  the  lock  for  a  moment, 
but  found  it  immovable. 

"Jest  step  out,  Allen,  and  get  all  the  keys  we 
have  an'  we'll  see  if  any  of  'em  fit,"  he  directed. 

Drew  did  so,  and  returned  in  a  moment  with  the 
entire  collection  that  the  shop  boasted.  Tyke  tried 
them  all  in  turn,  but  none  fitted. 

"I  guess  there's  no  help  for  it,"  he  said  at  last. 
"I  hate  to  spoil  the  box,  but  we'll  have  to  force  the 
lock.  Get  a  chisel,  and  we'll  pry  the  thing  open." 

The  chisel  was  brought  and  did  its  work 
promptly.  There  was  a  rasping,  groaning  sound, 
as  if  the  box  were  complaining  at  this  rude  assault 
upon  its  privacy,  then,  with  a  hand  that  trembled 
a  little,  Tyke  lifted  the  cover. 

All  three  heads  were  close  together  as  the  men 
bent  over  and  peered  in.  Their  first  glimpse  brought 


The  Broken  Chest  57 

a  sense  of  disappointment.  They  had  half  expected 
to  catch  the  sheen  of  gold  or  the  glitter  of  jewels. 
Instead  they  saw  only  a  piece  of  oilskin  that  was 
carefully  wrapped  about  what  proved  to  be  some 
sheets  of  paper  almost  as  stiff  as  parchment. 

"Huh,"  grunted  Tyke.  "Pesky  lot  of  trouble 
with  mighty  little  result.  I  told  you  I  thought  Man- 
uel was  a  bit  touched  in  the  brain,  an'  I  guess  I  was 
right." 

"Wait  a  minute,"  said  Captain  Hamilton.  "Don't 
go  off  at  half-cock.  Let's  see  what's  in  that  oil- 
skin." 

Tyke  opened  the  packet.  The  others  drew  up 
their  chairs,  one  on  either  side,  as  he  unfolded  the 
oilskin  carefully  on  his  desk. 

There  were  two  sheets  of  paper  inside,  so  old 
and  mildewed  that  they  had  to  be  handled  carefully 
to  prevent  their  falling  to  pieces. 

One  of  the  papers  seemed  to  be  an  official  state- 
ment written  in  Spanish.  The  other  consisted  of 
rude  tracings,  moving  apparently  at  random,  with 
here  and  there  a  word  that  was  almost  illegible. 

The  three  men  looked  at  this  blankly.  Drew  was 
the  first  to  speak. 

"It's  a  map!"  he  exclaimed  eagerly. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A   MYSTERIOUS  DOCUMENT 

THE  two  captains  scanned  the  document  closely. 

:tlt  certainly  is  a  map,"  pronounced  Captain 
Hamilton  decisively. 

"That's  what  it  'pears  to  be,"  admitted  Tyke. 

"And  it's  the  map  of  an  island,"  went  on  Hamil- 
ton. "See,"  he  pointed  out,  "these  wavy  lines  are 
meant  to  represent  water  and  these  firmer  lines 
stand  for  the  land." 

The  others  followed  the  movement  of  his  finger 
and  agreed  with  him. 

"Well,  after  all,  what  of  it?"  asked  Tyke,  leaning 
back  in  his  chair  with  affected  indifference. 

"There's  this  of  it,"  said  his  visitor  throwing 
his  extinguished  cigar  into  the  waste-basket  and 
drawing  his  chair  still  closer.  "I  feel  that  we  have 
a  mystery  on  our  hands,  and  we  should  examine  it 
fore  and  aft  to  find  what  there  is  in  it." 

"I  s'pose  the  next  thing  you'll  be  saying  is  that's 
it's  a  guide  to  hidden  treasure  or  something  like 
that,"  jeered  Tyke  feebly,  to  conceal  his  own 
growing  excitement. 

"Stranger  things  than  that  have  happened,"  re- 
plied the  captain  sententiously. 

58 


A  Mysterious  Document  59 

"Have  it  your  own  way,"  assented  Tyke,  rising 
and  going  to  the  door. 

''Winters/'  he  called,  "jest  remember  that  I'm 
not  in  to  anybody  for  the  rest  of  the  afternoon." 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  Winters  dutifully. 

Having  locked  the  door  as  an  additional  guard 
against  intrusion,  Tyke  rejoined  the  two  at  the  desk. 

"Fire  away,"  he  directed.  "What's  the  first 
move  ?" 

"The  first  thing  is  to  make  out  what's  written 
on  this  other  paper,"  said  the  captain,  handling  it 
gingerly. 

The  three  bent  over  and  studied  the  document 
closely. 

"Why,  it's  some  foreign  lingo;  Spanish  prob- 
ably!" exclaimed  Grimshaw.  "Not  a  word  of  Eng- 
lish anywhere,  as  far  as  I  can  make  out." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  the  captain,  a  little  dismayed 
at  the  discovery.  "We've  struck  a  snag  right  at 
the  start.  If  we  have  to  call  in  any  one  to  translate 
it,  we'll  be  taking  the  whole  world  into  the  secret, 
if  there  is  any  secret  worth  taking  about." 

"Don't  let  that  worry  you,"  Drew  intervened. 
"I  think  I  know  enough  Spanish  to  be  able  to  make 
out  the  paper." 

There  was  an  exclamation  of  delight  from  Cap- 
tain Hamilton  and  a  snort  of  surprise  from  Tyke. 

"Why,  I  never  knew  that  you  knew  anything 
about  that  lingo!"  the  latter  ejaculated. 


60  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"I  don't  know  any  too  much  about  it,"  returned 
Drew,  modestly.  "But  the  South  American  trade 
is  getting  so  big  now  that  I  thought  it  would  be  a 
good  thing  to  know  something  of  Spanish;  so  I've 
been  studying  it  at  night  and  at  odd  times  for  the 
last  two  years." 

"Well,  don't  that  beat  the  Dutch!"  cried  Tyke 
delightedly.  "Now  if  I  was  superstitious" — he 
stared  truculently  at  the  suspicious  working  of 
Drew's  mouth — "I'd  be  sure  there  was  something  in 
this  that  wasn't  natural.  We  want  to  look  into 
the  box,  an'  it  busts  open  in  front  of  us.  We  want 
to  read  that  Spanish  lingo,  an'  you  know  how  to  do 
it.  I'll  be  keelhauled  if  it  don't  make  me  feel  a  little 
creepy.  That  is,"  he  corrected  himself  quickly,  "it 
would  if  I  believed  in  them  things." 

"Well,  now  that  we  know  you  don't  believe  in 
them,"  said  Captain  Hamilton,  with  the  faintest 
possible  touch  of  sarcasm,  "and  since  our  young 
friend  here  is  able  to  read  this  paper,  suppose  we 
go  to  it." 

"You  bet  we'll  go  to  it!"  cried  Tyke  eagerly. 
"You  jest  take  a  pencil  an'  write  it  down  in  English 
as  Allen  reels  it  off." 

"There  won't  be  any  'reeling  off',"  warned  Drew, 
as  with  knitted  brow  he  pored  over  the  document. 
"In  the  first  place,  the  Spanish  used  here  Is  very 
old,  and  some  of  the  words  that  were  common  then 
aren't  in  use  any  more.  I  can  see  that.  Then,  too, 


A  Mysterious  Document  61 

the  ink  has  faded  so  much  that  some  of  the  words 
can't  be  made  out  at  all.  And  where  the  paper  has 
been  folded  the  lines  have  entirely  crumbled  away." 

"Sort  o'  Chinese  puzzle,  is  it?  "  queried  Tyke 
dismally. 

"A  Spanish  puzzle,  anyway,"  smiled  Drew.  "I 
need  something  to  help  out  my  eyes.  I  wish  we  had 
some  microscopes  in  our  stock,  as  well  as  tele- 
scopes." 

"We'll  get  the  best  there  is  in  the  market  if  nec- 
essary," declared  Tyke.  "But  jest  for  the  present, 
here  is  something  that  may  fill  the  bill." 

He  reached  into  a  drawer  and  brought  out  a  read- 
ing glass  that  could  be  placed  over  the  paper  as  it 
lay  on  the  desk. 

"The  very  thing!"  exclaimed  Drew  as  he  applied 
it.  "That  helps  a  lot." 

There  was  a  tense  air  of  expectancy  over  all  three 
as  he  began  to  read.  Tyke  kept  nervously  polishing 
his  glasses,  and  Captain  Hamilton's  hand  was  the 
least  bit  unsteady  as  it  guided  the  pencil.  Drew's 
voice  trembled,  though  he  tried  studiously  to  keep 
it  as  calm  as  though  he  were  reading  off  the  items 
on  a  bill  of  lading  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business. 

But  if  the  work  was  exciting,  it  was  none  the  less 
very  slow.  Once  in  a  while  there  would  be  a  word 
that  was  wholly  outside  Drew's  vocabulary.  In 
such  cases  the  captain  put  it  down  in  the  original 
Spanish  for  Drew  to  study  out  later  by  the  aid  of 


62  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

his  dictionary.  Then  at  the  points  where  the  story 
seemed  most  important,  there  would  be  a  crease  in 
the  paper  that  would  eliminate  an  entire  line. 
Other  words  had  faded  so  completely  that  the  mag- 
nifying glass  failed  to  help. 

But  at  last,  despite  all  the  tantalizing  breaks,  the 
final  word  was  reached,  and  the  captain  sat  back 
and  drew  a  long  breath  while  the  younger  man  re- 
folded the  paper. 

"Well  now,"  said  Tyke,  "lets  have  it  all  from  the 
first  word  to  the  last.  An'  Cap'n,  read  mighty 
slow." 

Amid  a  breathless  silence,  Captain  Hamilton 
commenced  reading  what  he  had  taken  down. 


"Trinidad,  March  18,  17- 
"In  the  name  of  God,  amen. 

"I  Ramon rez  unworthy  sin 


fit name lips  .... 

knowing 

....  mercy shown  none, 

expecting deepest 

hell  yet Mary 

saints    ....   shriving Holy 

Church confess 

life. 

" wild 

Tortugas French Reine 

Marguerite death. 


A  Mysterious  Document  63 

From  there  we  ran  to  Port  au  Spain 

....  plundering city,    .... 

many  men  and  boys  and women 

and Off  one  of  Baha  ....  Cays 

....  galleon fought  stoutly 

: walk  ....  plank.    Other  ships 

forgotten.     We  took 

great  spoils accursed 

spent living. 

"I captain.    Down  in  the  Carib- 
bean Sea  we caravel 

one  hundred  and 

twenty.    Lost  ship  in  tornado 

got  another. 

"Many  more 

....  weary telling  we 

God  ....  man. 

"At  last ten butchery 

....  frigates ch Fled  to  one  of 

the    ....    islands    ....    careened.     Tired  knowing 

sooner  or  later  I   made  up  my  mind 

one  more  rich  prize 

wickedness. 

k>We  captured  the  ....  Guadalquiver Des- 
perate   blood thousand  doubloons 

....  pearls price. 

"I  knew  of  an  island  off  the  beaten  track  where 

there  was  good  hiding found,     night. 

Cutter ashore,    mutiny killed 


64  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

them  both.    And  there  the  booty  is  still 

forbid. 

"Now  standing hell, 

I  have  made  ....  drawing island  where 

....   buried.     I  give  it  freely   ....   Mother   .... 

cand altar  and 

masses unworthy  soul. 

his 

(X)     Al 

mark 
"Attest  Pablo  Ximenes,  notary." 

The   captain  laid  the  paper  on   the   desk   and 
glanced  at  the  intent  faces  of  his  companions. 
"Now,  what  do  you  make  of  that?"  he  asked. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   SCOURGES   OF   THE   SEA 

TYKE'S  eyes  were  staring  and  his  face  was  so 
apoplectic  that  Drew  was  alarmed. 

"Make  out  of  it  ?"  Tyke  spluttered,  getting  up  and 
nearly  overturning  his  chair.  "I  make  out  of  it 
that  Manuel  was  right  when  he  said  that  the  old 
chest  held  something  worth  more'n  diamonds." 

Grimshaw  was  so  shaken  out  of  his  usual  calm 
that  Captain  Hamilton,  too,  shared  Drew's  alarm. 

"I  tell  you  what  we'd  better  do,"  he  suggested. 
"We're  all  too  much  excited  to  discuss  this  thing 
intelligently  now.  We've  got  a  whole  lot  to  digest, 
and  it  will  take  time.  This  thing  will  keep.  Sup- 
pose we  have  our  young  friend  here  take  this  rough 
draft  home  with  him  and  piece  out  the  missing  parts 
as  well  as  he  can.  In  the  meantime  we'll  all  mull 
it  over  in  our  minds,  look  at  it  from  every  angle, 
and  meet  here  fresh  and  rested  to-morrow  morning 
to  decide  on  what  we'd  better  do." 

"I  guess  you're  right,"  assented  Tyke,  mopping 
his  forehead.  "This  old  head  of  mine  is  whirling 
around  like  a  top." 

Tyke  locked  the  map  carefully  in  his  safe  and 
committed  the  other  paper  and  the  captain's  partial 
transcription  to  his  chief  clerk  with  solemn  injunc- 
tions to  take  the  utmost  care  of  them. 

65 


66  Doubloons-and  The  Girl 

But  the  latter  stood  in  no  need  of  the  admonition. 
He  would  have  defended  those  papers  with  his  life. 
They  meant  for  him — what  did  they  not  mean? 

Romance,  adventure,  wealth!  Now  at  last  he 
would  have  something  to  justify  his  search  for  Ruth 
Adams  and  his  suit  for  her  hand.  Now  he  could 
frame  his  jewel,  when  he  found  it,  in  a  proper 
setting. 

The  three  men  prepared  to  leave  the  private 
office.  Captain  Hamilton  was  first  at  the  door,  and 
he  unlocked  it.  The  instant  he  pulled  the  door 
open,  Drew  heard  him  ejaculate : 

"Thunderation !  Mr.  Ditty!  What  are  you 
doing  here?'' 

"You  told  me  to  follow  you  here,  Captain  Ham- 
ilton," said  a  respectful  voice.  "They  told  me  you 
were  inside,  and  so  I  waited  for  you." 

"Humph!  quite  right,  Mr.  Ditty,"  Captain  Ham- 
ilton said  hastily.  Then  he  thrust  his  head  back  into 
the  office.  "My  mate's  come  for  me,  Tyke.  We've 
got  an  errand  on  Whitehall  Street.  See  you  to- 
morrow. Good  night,  Mr.  Drew." 

Both  the  captain  and  the  other  man  had  gone 
when  Drew  went  out  into  the  larger  room.  The 
remainder  of  that  afternoon  he  spent  in  a  dream. 

When  the  day's  work  was  over,  Drew  dined  has- 
tily and  then  shut  himself  in  his  room  where  he 
worked  busily  until  midnight,  filling  in  the  vacant 
spaces  in  the  rough  draft  of  the  confession.  He  was 


The  Scourges  of  the  Sea  67 

critical  of  his  efforts,  recasting  and  revising  again 
and  again  until  he  was  satisfied  that  he  had  caught 
the  full  meaning  of  the  old  document  as  far  as  it 
was  humanly  possible.  Only  then  did  he  lay  it 
aside — to  dream  of  Ruth. 

Drew  was  at  the  shop  before  his  usual  time  the 
next  morning,  and  Tyke  and  Captain  Hamilton 
came  in  soon  afterward.  The  three  went  at  once 
into  secret  session,  leaving  the  entire  conduct  of  the 
chandlery  business  to  Winters,  much  to  the  mysti- 
fication of  that  youth. 

All  three  were  fresh  and  cool  this  morning  as 
they  buckled  down  to  the  problem  they  had  to  solve, 
and  the  wisdom  of  the  previous  night's  adjourn- 
ment was  clearly  evident. 

"I  got  to  talking  this  thing  over  with  my  daugh- 
ter last  night,"  said  Captain  Hamilton.  "You'd  for- 
gotten I  had  a  daugher,  Tyke?  Wait  till  you  see 
her !  Well,  she  was  aboard  the  schooner  for  dinner 
with  me,  and  she  said:  'Daddy,  if  there  is  a  real 
pirate's  treasure,  please  go  after  it.  Then  you  can 
stay  ashore  and  not  go  sailing  away  from  me  any 
more.'  So,  I've  a  double  incentive  for  pursuing  this 
thing,"  and  the  captain  laughed. 

"Yes,  that's  like  the  women-folk,"  observed 
Grimshaw.  "They're  always  for  a  man's  leaving 
the  sea." 

"That  isn't  what  made  you  leave  it  Tyke,"  Cap- 
tain Hamilton  said  slyly. 


68  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"An'' it  won't  be  women-folk  that  sends  me  back 
to  it,  neither,"  growled  the  older  man.  "An'  now, 
Allen,"  he  added,  as  they  settled  comfortably  into 
their  chairs,  "how  did  you  git  along  with  the 
paper?  Have  you  got  it  so  that  it  makes  sense?" 

"I'll  let  you  judge  of  that  for  yourselves,"  replied 
Drew,  taking  the  revised  draft  from  his  pocket.  "Of 
course,  I  can't  say  that  it's  exactly  right.  Some  of 
the  missing  words  and  sentences  I  had  to  guess  at. 
But  it's  as  nearly  right  as  I  know  how  to  make  it." 

He  waited  while  Grimshaw  and  Captain  Hamil- 
ton lighted  their  cigars,  and  then  proceeded  to  read : 

"Trinidad,  March  18,  17 

"In  the  name  of  God,  amen. 

"I,  Ramon  Alvarez,  unworthy  sinner  that  I  am 
and  not  fit  to  take  the  name  of  God  upon  my  lips, 
and  well  knowing  that  I  deserve  no  mercy  who 
have  ever  shown  none,  expecting  to  be  plunged  into 
the  deepest  hell,  yet  basing  my  only  hope  on  the 
Virgin  Mary  and  the  blessed  saints  and  the  shriving 
of  Holy  Church,  do  hereby  confess  the  misdeeds 
of  my  life. 

"From  my  youth  up  I  was  wild.  I  was  with  the 
buccaneers  who,  off  the  Tortugas,  captured  the 
French  ship,  Reine  Marguerite,  all  of  whose  crew 
and  passengers  we  put  to  death.  From  there  we 
ran  to  Port  au  Spain,  ravaging  and  plundering.  We 


The  Scourges  of  the  Sea  69 

captured  the  city,  killing  most  of  the  men  and  boys 
and  carrying  off  the  women  and  girls.  Off  one  of 
the  Bahama  Cays  we  took  a  Spanish  galleon,  and 
although  her  people  fought  stoutly,  we  made  them 
finally  walk  the  pank.  Other  ships  we  captured 
whose  names  I  have  forgotten.  We  took  great 
spoils,  but  the  money  was  accursed  and  was  soon 
spent  in  wild  living. 

"I  myself  soon  became  a  captain.  Down  in  the 
Caribbean  Sea  we  won  a  caravel  and  killed  all  on 
board,  one  hundred  and  twenty.  I  lost  my  ship  in 
a  tornado,  but  soon  got  another. 

"Many  more  evil  deeds  we  did  that  would  make 
me  weary  with  the  telling.  We  feared  neither  God 
nor  man. 

"At  last,  after  ten  years  or  more  of  butchery,  the 
nations  sent  many  frigates  in  chase  of  us.  I  fled 
to  one  of  the  islands  and  careened  my  ship.  Tired, 
knowing  I  would  be  taken  sooner  or  later,  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  would  capture  one  more  rich 
prize  and  then  be  done  wTith  my  wickedness. 

"We  captured  the  ship  Guadalquiver.  The  fight 
was  desperate  and  the  decks  ran  with  blood.  We 

took thousand  doubloons,  many  pearls  and 

jewels  of  price. 

"I  knew  of  an  island  off  the  beaten  track  where 
there  was  good  hiding  to  be  found.  I  took  the 
cutter  one  night  and  went  ashore  to  bury  treasure. 
Two  men  with  me  mutinied  and  I  killed  them  both. 


70  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

And  there  the  booty  is  still,  unless  it  has  been  taken 
away,  which  God  forbid. 

"Now,  standing  mayhap  on  the  very  brink  of  hell, 
I  have  made  this  drawing  of  the  island  where  the 
treasure  is  buried.  I  give  it  freely  to  Holy  Mother 
Church,  and  beg  that  part  be  spent  for  candles  to  be 
burned  before  the  altar  and  for  masses  to  be  said 
for  my  unworthy  soul. 

his 
"Ramon     (X)     Alvarez. 

mark 
"Attest,  Pablo  Ximencs,  notary." 

"Good  work,  Allen,"  commended  Tyke,  as  the 
reader  stopped. 

"Very  cleverly  done,"  added  Captain  Hamilton. 

Drew  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"Those  old  fellows  were  well  called  'the  scourges 
of  the  sea,'  weren't  they?"  he  said.  "Now  here! 
There  are  just  two  things  missing  that  it  would  be 
the  merest  guess-work  to  supply,"  he  added.  "One 
is  the  date.  We  know  the  century,  but  the  year  is 
absolutely  rubbed  out.  The  other  is  the  number  of 
doubloons  captured  with  his  last  prize.  That  was 
in  a  crease  of  the  paper  and  had  crumbled  away." 

"Yes,"  replied  Captain  Hamilton;  "but  neither 
is  so  very  important.  Of  course,  the  later  the  date, 
the  less  time  there  has  been  for  any  one  to  find  the 
doubloons  and  take  them  away.  We  have  the  names 


The  Scourges  of  the  Sea  71 

of  some  of  the  ships  that  were  captured  though,  and 
we  might  look  the  matter  up  in  some  French  or 
Spanish  history  and  so  get  a  clue  to  the  date. 

"As  to  the  extent  of  the  treasure,  \ve'll  find  that 
out  for  ourselves  when  we  get  it,  if  we  ever  do. 
And  if  we  don't  get  it,  the  amount  doesn't  matter." 

''It  seems  to  be  a  pretty  good-sized  one,  from  the 
way  the  rascal  speaks  about  it,"  remarked  Tyke. 

"Plenty  big  enough  to  pay  for  the  trouble  of  get- 
ting it,"  agreed  Captain  Hamilton. 

''Well,  now  that  we  know  what  the  paper  says, 
let's  git  right  down  to  brass  tacks,"  suggested  Grim- 
shaw.  ''In  the  first  place,  this  particular  pirate, 
Alvarez,  was  evidently  a  Spaniard.  The  language 
the  paper  is  written  in  proves  that." 

"Not  necessarily,"  objected  the  captain.  "Span- 
ish is  the  language  spoken  in  Trinidad,  and  even  if 
the  dying  man  were  a  Frenchman  or  an  English- 
man, the  notary  would  probably  translate  what  he 
said  into  Spanish.  Still,  the  first  name,  and  prob- 
ably the  last,  indicate  Spanish  birth.  I  guess  we're 
pretty  safe  in  considering  that  point  settled." 

"But  I  thought  most  of  the  pirates,  the  leaders 
anyway,  were  French  or  English,"  persisted  Tyke. 

"So  they  were,"  .answered  the  captain;  "but  the 
Portuguese  and  Spaniards  ran  them  a  close  second. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  those  fellows  acknowledged  no 
nationality  and  cut  the  throats  of  their  own  coun- 
trymen as  readily  as  any  others.  The  only  flag  they 


72  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

owed  any  allegiance  to  was  the  skull  and  cross- 
bones." 

"But  how  comes  it  that  this  confession  was  made 
before  a  notary?"  asked  Drew.  "I  should  think  it 
would  have  been  made  verbally  to  a  priest." 

"Well,"  said  the  captain  thoughtfully,  "there  are 
various  ways  of  accounting  for  that.  Alvarez  may 
have  been  taken  sick  suddenly,  and  the  notary  may 
have  been  nearest  at  hand.  Even  if  the  priest  had 
been  summoned,  the  sick  man  might  have  feared  that 
he  would  die  before  the  priest  got  there  and  wanted 
to  get  it  off  his  mind.  He  didn't  seem  to  have  much 
hope  of  heaven,  from  the  way  the  paper  reads." 

"I  don't  wonder,"  put  in  Tyke,  dryly. 

"But  whatever  chance  there  was,  he  wanted  to 
take  it,"  finished  the  captain. 

"I  wonder  how  the  paper  ever  got  into  Manuel's 
hands,"  pondered  Tyke. 

"The  churches  and  convents  seemed  to  suffer 
most  in  those  wild  days,"  said  the  captain.  "They 
were  sacked  and  plundered  again  and  again.  It 
might  very  well  be  that  this  paper  was  stolen  by 
ignorant  adventurers,  and  in  some  way  got  into  the 
hands  of  one  of  Manuel's  ancestors  and  so  came 
down  to  him.  Probably  most  of  them  couldn't  read 
and  had  no  idea  of  what  the  paper  contained. 
Could  Manuel  read?"  he  asked,  turning  to 
Grimshaw. 

"Why,  yes;  but  rather  poorly,"  answered  Tyke. 


The  Scourges  of  the  Sea  73 

"I've  seen  him  sometimes  in  port  looking  over  a 
Spanish  newspaper,  moving  his  finger  slowly  along 
each  line." 

"That  explains  it  then,"  said  the  captain.  "He 
was  able  to  make  out  just  enough  to  guess  that  the 
paper  and  map  referred  to  hidden  treasure,  but  he 
wasn't  able  to  make  good  sense  of  it." 

"I  s'pose  that  was  the  reason  he  was  always  try- 
ing to  git  me  interested  in  his  pirate  stories,"  put 
in  Tyke.  "He  was  kind  o'  feeling  me  out,  an'  if  I'd 
showed  any  interest  or  belief  in  it,  he'd  have  prob- 
ably tried  to  git  me  to  take  a  ship  and  go  after  it 
with  him." 

"Not  a  doubt  in  the  world,"  agreed  Captain 
Hamilton. 

"Well,  now  we've  looked  at  the  matter  of  the 
paper  from  most  every  side,"  remarked  Tyke;  "an' 
I  guess  we're  all  agreed  that  it  looks  like  a  bona  fide 
confession.  We've  seen,  too,  how  it  was  possible 
for  it  to  git  into  the  hands  of  Manuel.  Now  let's 
see  if  we  can  make  head  or  tail  of  the  map." 

He  brought  out  the  paper  from  his  safe  and  the 
three  men  crowded  around  it.  Here,  after  all,  was 
the  crux  of  the  whole  matter.  By  this  they  were  to 
stand  or  fall.  It  booted  little  to  know  merely  that 
the  doubloons  were  buried  somewhere  in  the  West 
Indies.  They  might  as  well  be  at  the  North  Pole, 
unless  they  could  locate  their  hiding  place  with  some 
degree  of  precision. 


74  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

The  dark,  heavily  shaded  part  in  the  center  of 
the  map  was  evidently  meant  to  mark  the  position 
of  the  island  itself.  Quite  as  surely,  the  light, 
undulating  lines  surrounding  it  were  intended  to 
show  the  water. 

"There  seems  to  be  just  one  inlet,"  said  Captain 
Hamilton,  pointing  to  an  indentation  that  bit  deeply 
into  the  dark  mass  of  the  island. 

"Lucky  there's  even  one,"  grunted  Tyke.  "I've 
known  many  of  those  picayune  islands  where  there 
was  no  safe  anchorage  at  all." 

The  island  was  irregular  in  shape  and  seemed 
to  have  an  elevation  in  the  center.  But  what  most 
attracted  their  attenion  were  three  small  circles  some 
distance  in  from  the  shore  that  seemed  to  indicate 
some  special  spot. 

"There's  some  writing  alongside  of  these,"  an- 
nounced Drew,  after  a  sharp  scrutiny.  "If  you'll 
hand  me  the  reading  glass  I  think  I  can  make  it 
out." 

The  glass  was  quickly  brought  into  use,  and 
Drew  stared  at  the  writing  hard  and  long. 

"  The  Witch's  Head.'  The  Three  Sisters',"  he 
translated. 

"Sounds  like  a  suffragette  colony,"  muttered 
Tyke. 

But  Drew  was  too  deeply  engrossed  with  his  task 
to  notice  the  play  of  fancy. 

"  Thirty-seven  long  paces  due  north  from  the 


The  Scourges  of  the  Sea  75 

Witch's  Head.'  'Eighty-nine  long  paces  due  east 
from  The  Three  Sisters,'  "  he  went  on. 

"Now  we're  getting  down  to  something  definite!" 
exclaimed  Captain  Hamilton. 

"That's  all,"  announced  Drew.  "What  do  you 
suppose  it  means?" 

"It  can  mean  only  one  thing,  it  seems  to  me," 
said  Tyke  excitedly.  "It's  pointing  to  the  spot 
where  the  doubloons  are  buried." 

"Yes,"  agreed  the  captain,  "I  should  take  it  to 
mean  that  if  you  mark  off  thirty-seven  long  paces 
north  from  the  Witch's  Head  and  eighty-nine  long 
paces  east  from  The  Three  Sisters,  the  spot  where 
those  paths  cross  would  be  the  place  to  dig." 

"Do  you  see  anything  on  the  map  that  would  give 
a  hint  as  to  the  latitude  and  logitude?"  asked 
Grimshaw  anxiously. 

"No,"  answered  Drew.  "Wait  a  minute  though," 
he  added  hastily.  "Here's  something  that  looks 
like  figures  down  in  the  lower  left  hand  corner. 
Fifty-seven  ....  No !  Sixty-seven-three  is  one, 
and  thirteen-ten  is  the  other." 

"That  can  only  stand  for  longitude  and  latitude !" 
cried  Tyke.  "Quick,  Allen,  git  down  that  Hydro- 
graphic  Office  chart.  That'll  cover  it." 


CHAPTER  IX 

GETTING   DOWN    TO    "BRASS   TACKS" 

IN  a  moment  the  chart  was  taken  down  from  its 
hook  and  spread  out  on  Tyke's  big  desk.  With 
shaking  fingers  the  old  man  found  the  line  of  longi- 
tude indicated  on  the  pirate's  map,  and  followed  it 
down  till  he  came  to  the  thirteenth  degree  of  lati- 
tude. 

"Thirteen-ten ;  sixty-seven-three,"  he  muttered. 
"Thirteen  degrees,  ten  minutes  latitude ;  sixty-seven 
degrees,  three  minutes  longitude.  There  is  is !"  and 
he  made  a  mark  with  his  pencil  on  the  chart. 
"Right  down  there  in  the  Caribbean,  west  of  Mar- 
tinique. Glory  Hallelujah!" 

The  old  man  was  as  frisky  as  a  colt,  and  under 
the  stimulus  of  excitement  the  years  seemed  to  drop 
away  from  him. 

Captain  Hamilton  was  quite  as  delighted,  though 
he  did  not  give  so  free  a  rein  to  his  emotions. 

"Splendid !"  he  beamed.  "When  we  can  actually 
get  down  to  figures,  it  begins  to  look  like  business. 
Of  course,  there  are  innumerable  small  islands 
down  that  way.  But  it  won't  take  much  cruising 
around  to  try  them  all." 

Once  more  he  studied  the  shape  and  the  size  of 
the  island,  and  his  brows  knitted  almost  to  a  scowl, 
so  close  was  his  concentration. 

76 


Getting  Down  to  "Brass  Tacks"      77 

"That  elevation  in  the  middle  looks  something 
like  a  whale's  hump,"  remarked  Drew. 

Captain  Hamilton  jumped  as  though  he  had  been 
shot. 

"That's  it!"  he  cried.  "By  Jove!  I  know  that 
island !  I  remember  thinking  that  very  thing  about 
it  one  day  some  years  ago  when  I  was  coming  up 
from  Maracaibo.  My  mate  was  standing  by  me 
at  the  time.  It  was  just  as  sunset,  and  the  island 
stood  out  plain  against  the  sky.  I  remember  say- 
ing to  him  that  it  looked  to  me  just  like  the  hump 
of  a  whale.  Now  we've  located  it  sure.  I'll  recog- 
nize it  the  minute  my  eyes  fall  on  it  whether  it's 
charted  or  not.  My  boy,  you're  a  wonder.  You've 
helped  us  out  at  every  turn  in  this  business." 

"That  he  has,"  declared  Tyke  enthusiastically. 
"Neither  the  paper  nor  the  map  would  have  been 
any  good  without  Allen  to  translate  'em.  I'm 
proud  of  you,  Allen." 

The  young  man  flushed  with  pleasure  and  mur- 
mured deprecatingly  that  it  was  just  a  bit  of  luck 
that  he  happened  to  know  Spanish. 

"Luck!  'Tisn't  luck  that  makes  a  man  dig  out 
a  foreign  lingo,"  said  Tyke.  "An',  anyway,  you've 
been  smart  at  every  point  with  your  suggestions, 
an'  helped  us  out  as  we  went  along.  You  started 
things  with  your  eagerness  to  look  into  Manuel's 
box  an'  you  put  the  cap  sheaf  on  when  you  jest 
now  gave  Cap'n  Rufe  that  last  pointer. 


78  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"An'  now,"  Tyke  went  on,  when  they  had 
sobered  down  a  little,  "let's  get  down  to  brass  tacks. 
There's  jest  one  thing  that  remains  to  be  done,  but 
it's  a  mighty  big  thing.  We  feel  pretty  sure  that 
there  is  a  treasure,  an'  we  think  we  know  where  that 
treasure  is.  Now  the  question  is,  how  are  we  going 
to  git  it?" 

Drew  experienced  a  feeling  of  dismay.  He  had 
been  so  engrossed  with  the  preliminary  work  that 
he  had  hardly  given  a  thought  to  the  practical  prob- 
lem involved.  He  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  it 
would  be  easy  enough  to  get  a  ship  to  go  after  the 
pirate's  hoard. 

Now  with  Tyke's  bald  statement  confronting 
him,  a  host  of  perplexities  sprang  up  to  torment 
him.  Where  were  they  to  get  the  right  kind  of 
ship?  How  could  they  escape  telling  the  captain 
of  that  ship  just  where  they  were  going  and  what 
they  were  going  for? 

But  if  the  matter  puzzled  Tyke  and  his  chief 
clerk,  it  bothered  Captain  Hamilton  not  at  all.  He 
lighted  a  fresh  cigar,  crossed  his  legs  and  smiled 
broadly. 

"That's  an  easy  one,"  he  remarked.  "Give  me 
something  hard." 

Tyke  looked  at  him  in  some  surprise  and  Drew's 
face  reflected  his  bewilderment. 

"Seems  to  me  it's  hard  enough,"  grumbled  Tyke. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Drew  quickly. 


Getting  Down  to  "Brass  Tacks"      79 

"I  mean,"  said  the  captain  complacently,  "that 
we'll  make  this  voyage  in  my  schooner." 

The  two  others  jumped  to  their  feet. 

"Splendid !"  cried  Drew. 

"Glory  be!"  ejaculated  Tyke. 

"The  plan  seems  to  suit  you,"  smiled  the  captain. 

"Suit  us!''  shouted  Tyke.  "Why,  it's  jest  made 
to  order.  But  how're  you  going  to  git  the  owner's 
permission?  How  do  you  know  he'll  be  willing  to 
have  the  ship  chartered  for  such  a  cruise?  An' 
how  are  we  going  to  keep  the  secret  from  him?" 

"As  I  happen  to  be  the  chief  owner,  as  well  as 
the  captain,  I  guess  we  won't  have  any  trouble  on 
that  score." 

"Owner!"  exclaimed  Tyke,  in  astonishment.  "I 
hadn't  any  idee  that  you  had  any  int'rest  in  her  out- 
side of  your  berth  as  captain.  You've  been  pretty 
forehanded  to  have  got  so  far  ahead  as  to  own  a 
craft  like  that." 

"I  haven't  done  so  badly  in  the  last  few  years," 
said  the  captain  modestly;  "and  as  fast  as  I  saved 
money  I  kept  buying  more  stock  in  the  old  girl. 
Mr.  Parmalee  encouraged  that  idea  in  his  captains. 
He  knew  human  nature,  and  knew  that  when  a 
man's  own  money  was  invested  in  the  deck  under 
him  he  was  going  to  be  mighty  careful  of  the  ship's 
safety  and  would  have  a  personal  interest  in  seeing 
that  she  was  a  money  maker.  The  old  man's  dead 
now,  but  his  son  has  inherited  a  third  interest  in 


80  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

the  Bertha  Hamilton,  while  I  hold  the  other  two- 
thirds.  I  renamed  her  when  I  gat  control  of  the 
bonny  craft.  I  hope  some  day  to  buy  out  Par- 
malee's  share  and  become  the  sole  owner." 

"You're  a  lucky  man,"  congratulated  Tyke 
warmly.  "It  must  be  great  when  you  tread  the 
plank  to  feel  that  you're  not  only  boss  for  the  time 
being,  but  that  you  actually  own  her.  What  is  she 
like  ?  How  big  is  she  ?  And  how  much  of  a  crew 
do  you  ship?" 

"She's  three  stick,  schooner  rigged,"  replied  the 
captain.  "A  hundred  and  fifty  feet  over  all  and 
carries  a  crew  of  about  thirty.  Oh!  she's  a  sailing 
craft,  Tyke.  She's  not  afoul  with  steam  winches 
and  the  like.  And  she's  a  beauty,"  he  added,  his 
eyes  kindling  with  pride.  "There  are  mighty  few 
ships  on  this  coast  that  she  can't  show  a  pair  of 
heels  to,  and  she's  a  sweet  sailer  in  any  weather. 
She  stands  right  up  into  the  wind's  eye  as  steady 
as  a  church  and  when  it  comes  to  reaching  or  run- 
ning free,  I'd  back  her  against  anything  that  carries 
sails." 

"But  how  about  your  other  engagements?"  sug- 
gested Grimshaw.  "Is  she  chartered  for  a  voyage 
anywhere  soon?" 

"That's  another  rare  bit  of  luck,"  returned  the 
captain.  "I  had  an  engagement  to-day  with  Hoi- 
lings  &  Company,  who  were  thinking  of  having  me 
take  a  cargo  for  Galveston.  If  I  hadn't  run  plump 


Getting  Down  to  "Brass  Tacks"      81 

into  this  treasure  business  as  I  did,  there  isn't  any 
doubt  but  I  would  have  closed  with  them  to-day. 
But  now  it's  all  off.  I'll  see  them  this  after- 
noon and  tell  them  they'll  have  to  get  somebody 
else."  , 

Tyke  sat  down  heavily  in  his  chair  and  wagged 
his  grizzled  head  solemnly. 

"It's  beyond  me,"  he  said.  "It  must  be  meant. 
Here  we  might  be  wreeks  or  months  before  we  could 
git  a  ship  that  suited  us,  if  we  got  it  at  all;  but 
along  comes  Cap'n  Rufe  here  with  the  very  thing 
we  want.  If  I  was  superstitious," — before  his 
stony  stare  they  sat  unwinking — "I'd  think  for  sure 
there  was  something  in  this  more'n  natural.  It 
can't  be,  after  all  this,  that  we're  going  on  a  wild 
goose  chase." 

"Well,"  replied  Captain  Hamilton  cautiously,  "it 
may  be  that  after  all.  Things  certainly  have  worked 
to  a  charm  so  far,  but  that  doesn't  prove  anything. 
'There's  many  a  slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip,'  and 
this  may  be  one  of  them.  When  all  is  said  and 
done,  it's  a  gamble.  For  all  we  know,  the  doub- 
loons may  have  been  taken  away  a  hundred  years 
ago,  and  all  we'll  find  after  we  get  there  may  be  an 
empty  hole  in  the  ground.  But  'nothing  venture, 
nothing  have';  and  with  all  the  evidence  we  have, 
I'm  willing  to  take  a  chance." 

"So  am  I !"  cried  Tyke  heartily.  "Of  course,  we 
stand  to  lose  a  tidy  little  sum  if  it  should  turn  out 


82  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

to  be  a  fluke.  There's  the  outfitting  to  be  done,  the 
crew's  wages  to  be  paid,  an'  a  lot  of  other  expenses 
that'll  mount  up  into  money.  But  it's  worth  a 
chance,  and  if  we  lose  I'm  willing  to  stand  the  gaff 
without  whining." 

It  goes  without  saying  that  Drew  heartily  echoed 
these  sentiments  in  his  mind,  but  he  felt  some  deli- 
cacy about  expressing  them.  After  all,  it  was  Cap- 
tain Hamilton  and  his  employer  who  would  have 
to  provide  the  funds  for  the  expedition  and  stand 
the  loss  if  there  were  any.  He  himself  would  be 
called  on  to  risk  nothing. 

And  with  this  thought  came  another  with  the 
suddenness  of  a  stab.  On  what  was  he  building  his 
hopes  for  a  share  in  the  profits  of  the  adventure? 
After  all,  he  was  only  Tyke's  employee.  The  very 
time  he  was  spending  in  unraveling  this  mystery 
belonged  to  Tyke  and  was  paid  for  by  him.  He 
felt  again  the  weight  of  his  chains,  and  the  air  castle 
he  had  built  for  Ruth's  occupancy  suddenly  took 
on  the  iridescent  colors  of  a  bubble. 

"Well,  now  that  we've  got  down  to  brass  tacks 
as  you  say,  Tyke,  let's  get  along  to  the  next  point " 
said  the  captain  briskly.  "I  don't  suppose  you 
could  come  along  with  me?" 

"You  don't!"  snorted  Tyke.  "Well  then,  you're 
due  for  another  guess.  You  bet  your  binoculars 
I'm  coming  along.  I'd  like  to  see  anything  that 
would  stop  me!" 


Getting  Down  to  "Brass  Tacks"       83 

Drew's  heart  sank.  If  Tyke  were  going,  that 
would  mean  that  he  would  have  to  stay  behind  to 
look  after  the  interests  of  the  chandlery  shop. 

"But  your  business?"  objected  the  captain. 

"Business  be  hanged!"  roared  Tyke.  "It  can  go 
to  Davy  Jones,  for  all  I  care.  Anyway,  I  can  leave 
it  in  good  hands.  But  I'm  going  to  have  one  more 
sight  of  blue  water  before  I  turn  up  my  toes  for 
good,  no  matter  what  happens.  An'  I'm  going  to 
take  Allen  along  with  me !" 

Drew  was  struck  dumb  for  the  moment  and  could 
only  stare  at  the  excited  old  man. 

"Yes!"  repeated  Tyke,  "he's  going  to  have  his 
fling  along  with  the  rest  of  us.  We  ought  to  be 
back  in  a  couple  of  months,  if  we  have  any  kind 
of  luck.  Winters  is  a  bright  boy,  and  he  can  keep 
things  going  for  a  while." 

"That'll  be  fine,"  said  the  captain  with  enthu- 
siasm. "I'd  like  nothing  better  than  to  have  the 
two  of  you  for  messmates." 

"But  say!"  broke  in  Tyke,  as  a  thought  suddenly 
occurred  to  him,  "what  about  that  feller — Par- 
malee — who  has  a  third  int'rest  in  your  craft?  Of 
course,  he'll  want  to  know,  an'  he'll  have  a  right 
to  know,  why  you  don't  take  this  Galveston  cargo 
an'  why  you're  going  on  this  cruise  of  ours.  How 
are  you  going  to  git  around  that?" 

"That  is  something  of  a  problem,"  the  captain  re- 
plied slowly,  "and  especially  as  he  thought  of  going 


84  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

with  me  to  Galveston  for  the  sake  of  his  health. 
He's  lame  and  delicate,  and  the  doctor  told  him  that 
a  sea  voyage  was  just  what  he  needed  to  build 
him  up. 

"Of  course,"  he  went  on,  "I'm  the  principal 
owner  of  the  ship,  and  what  I  say,  goes.  I  could 
do  this  against  his  will,  if  I  wished,  although  of 
course  in  that  case  I'd  be  bound  to  see  -that  he  got 
as  much  profit  as  he  would  have  done  if  I'd  taken 
the  Galveston  job." 

"What  kind  of  feller  is  this  Parmalee?"  asked 
Grimshaw  cautiously. 

"As  fine  a  lad  as  you'd  care  to  meet,"  answered 
the  captain  heartily.  "Friendly  and  good-hearted 
and  white  all  through.  He's  sickly  in  body,  but  his 
head's  all  right.  And  just  because  he  is  that  kind, 
I  don't  want  to  do  anything  that  would  hurt  or 
offend  him, 

"But  that's  a  matter  that  can  wait,"  he  continued. 
"In  any  event  it  won't  affect  our  plans.  Either  I'll 
fix  the  matter  up  with  him  satisfactorily  in  a  money 
way,  or,  if  you  think  best,  we'll  let  him  into  the 
secret  and  take  him  along." 

"Would  that  be  safe?"  inquired  Tyke  dubiously. 

"Absolutely,"  affirmed  the  captain.  ''He's  a  man 
of  honor,  and  if  he  promised  to  keep  our  secret, 
wild  horses  couldn't  drag  it  from  him.  I'd  trust 
him  as  I  would  myself.  Maybe  he'd  like  to  come 
along  with  us.  He's  too  rich  to  care  anything  about 


Getting  Down  to  "Brass  Tacks"      85 

the  doubloons,  but  he's  romantic,  and  he  might  like 
the  fun  of  hunting  for  it." 

"Well,"  said  Tyke,  "we'll  have  to  leave  that  mat- 
ter to  you  to  settle  as  you  think  best.  Any  one  you 
vouch  for  will  be  good  enough  for  me.'' 

"And  now/'  said  Captain  Hamilton,  "there's  one 
thing  more  that  we  haven't  touched  on  yet.  I  sup- 
pose we  understand,  Tyke,  that  you  and  I  put  up 
the  expenses  of  this  expedition,  fifty-fifty?" 

"Sure  thing,"  agreed  Tyke. 

"And  if  nothing  comes  of  it,  we  simply  charge  it 
up  to  profit  and  loss " 

"An'  let  it  go  at  that,"  finished  Tyke.  "We'll 
have  had  a  run  for  our  money,  anyhow." 

"On  the  other  hand,"  the  captain  continued,  "if 
we  find  the  treasure,  and  it  proves  to  be  of  any 
size,  we'll  first  deduct  the  cost  of  the  trip,  lay  aside 
enough  for  Parmalee  to  make  things  right  with  him 
— he  may  not  want  it,  but  we'll  make  him  take  it — 
and  then  divide  what's  left  into  three  equal  shares?" 

"Three!"  Drew  uttered  the  ejaculation,  and  the 
blood  drummed  in  his  temples. 

"That's  right,"  assented  Tyke  placidly.  "One 
for  you,  one  for  me,  and  the  third  for  Allen." 


CHAPTER  X 

CAPRICIOUS    FORTUNE 

DREW  experienced  a  thrill  of  delight.  But  he  felt 
that  he  ought  to  protest. 

"I'm  not  putting  up  anything  toward  the  ex- 
pense," he  said.  "If  things  go  wrong,  you'll  lose 
heavily.  I  have  nothing  to  lose  and  everything  to 
gain.  It  doesn't  seem  the  square  thing." 

"Let  us  do  the  worrying  about  that,"  smiled  the 
captain.  "You've  done  your  fair  share  already  to- 
ward this  adventure.  We'll  all  share  and  share 
alike." 

"You  bet  we  will,"  chimed  in  Tyke.  "There 
wouldn't  be  any  cruise  at  all  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
you.  Who  suggested  searching  the  box?  Who 
translated  the  paper  and  the  map  ?  You've  been  the 
head  and  front  of  the  whole  thing  from  the 
beginning." 

"But "  began  Drew. 

"  'But,'  nothing,"  interrupted  Tyke.  "Not  an- 
other word.  Remember  I'm  your  boss." 

And  Drew,  glad  enough  for  once  in  his  life  to  be 
bossed,  became  silent.  But  the  walls  of  his  air  cas- 
tle began  to  grow  more  solid. 

"How  long  will  it  be  before  you  can  have  the 
schooner  ready  to  sail?"  Tyke  inquired,  turning  to 
the  captain. 

86 


Capricious  Fortune  87 

"Oh,  in  a  week  or  ten  days  if  we  are  pressed," 
was  the  response.  "It  won't  take  us  more  than  that 
to  get  our  supplies  aboard  and  ship  our  crew." 

'The  crew  is  an  important  matter/'  reflected 
Tyke.  "It  won't  do  to  pick  up  any  riffraff  that 
may  come  to  hand.  We  want  to  git  men  that  we 
can  trust.  Sailors  have  a  way  of  smelling  out  the 
meaning  of  any  cruise  that  is  out  of  the  usual  order 
of  things,  an'  if  there's  any  trouble-makers  in  the 
crew  who  git  a  hint  that  we're  out  for  treasure, 
they'll  cause  mischief." 

"They  won't  get  any  hint,  unless  some  of  us  talk 
in  our  sleep,"  replied  the  captain.  "I  know  where 
I  can  lay  hands  on  quite  a  few  of  my  old  crew,  but 
I'll  be  so  busy  with  other  things  that  I'll  have  to 
leave  the  picking  of  most  of  the  men  to  Ditty." 

"Ditty?"  said  Grimshaw  inquiringly. 

"He's  my  mate,"  explained  the  captain.  "Cal 
Ditty.  As  smart  a  sailor  as  one  could  ask  for.  But 
that  about  lets  him  out." 

"Why!  don't  you  like  him?"  asked  Tyke  quickly. 

"No,  I  can't  say  I  do,"  replied  the  captain 
slowly.  "I've  never  warmed  toward  the  man. 
There's  something  about  him  that  repels  me." 

"Why  don't  you  git  rid  of  him  then  ?" 

"Well,  you  see  it's  like  this,"  explained  Captain 
Hamilton.  "He  saved  Mr.  Parmalee's  life  one  time 
when  the  old  man  fell  overboard,  and  naturally 
Parmalee  felt  very  grateful  to  him.  He  promised 


88  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

him  that  he  should  always  have  a  berth  on  one  of 
his  ships  as  long  as  he  lived.  Of  course,  since  the 
old  man  is  dead,  we  could  do  as  we  liked  about 
firing  Ditty,  but  young  Parmalee  feels  that  it's  up 
to  him  to  respect  his  father' s  wishes.  So  rather  than 
have  any  trouble  about  it,  I've  kept  Ditty  on.  But 
he's  a  lush  when  he's  ashore,  and  I  don't  fully  trust 
him.  That  may  be  unjust  too,  for  he's  always 
done  his  work  well  and  I've  had  no  reason  to  com- 
plain." 

"Well,  anyway,"  warned  Tyke,  "I'd  keep  my 
weather  eye  peeled  if  I  was  you.  When  you  feel 
that  way  about  a  man,  there's  usually  something  to 
justify  it  sooner  or  later." 

"Well,  now,  suppose  I'm  ready  in  a  fortnight, 
how  about  you?"  asked  Captain  Hamilton. 

"Oh,  we'll  be  ready  by  that  time,"  replied  Tyke 
confidently.  "Of  course  we've  got  this  moving  to 
do,  but  we're  pretty  well  packed  up  now,  an'  before 
a  week  is  over  we'll  have  everything  shipshape  in 
our  new  quarters." 

"We'll  race  each  other  to  see  who'll  be  ready 
first,"  laughed  Captain  Hamilton.  "In  the  mean- 
time, if  you're  not  too  rushed,  come  over  and  take  a 
squint  at  the  Bertha  Hamilton.  And  if  you  don't 
see  the  niftiest  little  craft  that  ever  gladdened  the 
eyes  of  a  sailorman,  you  can  call  me  a  swab." 

"Where  is  she  lying?"  asked  Drew. 

"Foot  of  Franklin  Street,  North  River.     You'll 


Capricious  Fortune  89 

find  me  there  most  all  the  time,  but  if  you  don't 
just  go  aboard  and  look  her  over  anyway.  You'll 
be  on  her  for  some  weeks,  and  you  might  as  well 
get  acquainted/' 

Tyke  and  Drew  promised  that  they  would,  and, 
with  a  cordial  handshake,  Captain  Hamilton  left  the 
office.  , 

Grimshaw  carefully  stowed  the  map  and  paper 
away  in  his  safe,  and  then  turned  to  Drew. 

"Named  his  craft  after  the  daughter  he  spoke  of, 
I  reckon — Bertha  Hamilton.  Well,  perhaps  it'll 
bring  us  luck.  Cap'n  Rufe  is  some  seaman,  an'  no 
mistake."  Then  he  added,  with  a  quizzical  smile: 
"Quite  a  lot's  happened  since  this  time  yesterday.'' 

"I  should  say  there  had !"  responded  Drew.  "My 
head  is  swimming  with  it.  It'll  take  some  time  for 
me  to  settle  down  and  get  my  bearings.  I'm 
tempted  to  pinch  myself  to  see  if  I'm  not  dreaming. 
If  I  am,  I  don't  want  to  wake  up.  You're  certainly 
good  to  me,  Mr.  Grimshaw,"  he  added  warmly. 

Tyke  waved  aside  Drew's  thanks  by  a  motion  of 
his  hand. 

"Everything  does  seem  topsy-turvy,"  he  said.  "I 
thought  that  the  old  hulk  was  laid  up  for  good.  But 
now  it  seems  she's  clearing  for  one  more  cruise.  An' 
it's  all  come  about  so  queer  like.  Now  if  I " 

Tyke  checked  himself  and  rose  to  his  feet. 

"Well,  now  we've  got  one  more  reason  for  hus- 
tling," he  declared.  "You'll  have  your  hands  full 


90  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

from  this  time  on,  my  boy,  an'  so  will  I.  You  want 
to  begin  to  break  Winters  in  right  away,  so  that 
he'll  be  able  to  take  charge  of  things  while  we're 
gone." 

"How  shall  I  explain  it?"  asked  Drew.  "What 
shall  I  give  as  a  reason  for  the  trip?" 

Tyke  reflected  for  a  moment. 

"Jest  say  that  we're  going  for  a  cruise  in  South- 
ern waters  with  an  old  sea  cap'n  friend  of  mine. 
Tell  him  that  you've  been  sticking  pretty  close  to 
your  desk,  an'  that  I  thought  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  for  you  to  go  along.  Don't  make  any  mys- 
tery of  it.  Tell  him  that  we'll  be  back  in  a  couple 
of  months,  an'  that  it's  up  to  him  to  make  good 
while  we're  gone. 

"One  thing  more,"  he  added,  as  Drew  turned  to 
go.  "Tell  him  that  I'm  going  to  raise  his  salary, 
an'  he'll  feel  so  good  about  that  that  he  won't  waste 
much  time  thinking  about  us  and  our  plans." 

The  recipe  worked  as  Tyke  had  predicted,  and 
after  the  first  expressions  of  surprise,  Winters 
speedly  became  engrossed  in  his  added  responsi- 
bilities and  the  increase  in  his  pay,  leaving  Drew 
untroubled  by  prying  questions. 

For  the  next  three  days  all  worked  like  beavers, 
and  by  nightfall  of  the  third  day  the  moving  had 
been  effected  and  the  stock  arranged  in  their  new 
quarters. 

"Guess  we're  going  to  be  ready  for  that  cruise 


Capricious  Fortune  91 

before  Cap'n  Rufe  is,"  grinned  Tyke,  as  he  sur- 
veyed the  finished  work. 

But  he  exulted  too  soon.  That  very  evening, 
Drew  received  a  telephone  message  from  St.  Luke's 
hospital  saying  that  Mr.  T.  Grimshaw  had  been 
brought  in  there  with  an  injured  leg  as  the  result 
of  a  street  accident.  He  had  requested  that  Drew 
be  summoned  at  once. 

Shocked  and  grieved,  the  young  man  hurried  to 
the  hospital.  He  was  ushered  at  once  into  the  pri- 
vate room  in  which  Tyke  was  lying. 

The  leg  had  been  bandaged,  and  Tyke  had  re- 
covered somewhat  from  the  first  shock  of  the  acci- 
dent. He  was  suffering  no  special  pain  at  the  mo- 
ment, and  was  eagerly  watching  the  door  through 
which  Drew  would  come. 

The  latter's  heart  ached  as  he  saw  how  wan  and 
gray  the  old  man's  face  looked.  But  his  indom- 
itable spirit  still  shone  in  his  sunken  eyes,  and  he 
tried  to  summon  a  cheery  smile  as  Drew  came  near 
the  bed. 

"Well,  Allen,  my  boy,"  he  remarked,  "I  guess  I 
crowed  too  soon  this  afternoon.  I  didn't  think  then 
that  the  old  hulk  would  be  laid  up  so  soon  for 
repairs." 

Drew  expressed  his  sorrow,  as  he  gripped  Tyke's 
hand  affectionately. 

"How  did  it  happen?"  he  asked. 

"Cruising  across  the  street  in  front  of  an  auto," 


92  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

replied  Tyke.  "Thought  I  had  cleared  it,  but  guess 
I  hadn't.  I  saw  that  one-eyed  feller  standing 
there " 

"What  one-eyed  fellow  ?"  Drew  asked,  interrupt- 
ing. 

"Why,  I  don't  know  who  he  was.  Looked  like 
a  sea-faring  man,"  returned  Tyke.  "Oh!  That 
does  hurt !  Doctor  said  it  would  if  I  moved  it." 

"Don't  move  your  leg,  then,"  advised  Drew. 
"What  about  the  one-eyed  man?" 

"Why,"  repeated  Tyke,  reflectively,  "I  saw  him 
on  the  curb  jest  as  I  jumped  to  git  out  of  the  way 
of  that  auto.  I  ain't  as  spry  as  I  used  to  be  I  admit ; 
but  seems  to  me  I  would  have  made  it  all  right  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  that  feller." 

"What  did  he  do  to  you?"  asked  the  anxious 
Drew.  Of  course,  there  was  more  than  one  sailor 
in  the  world  with  only  one  eye ;  yet  the  young  man 
wondered. 

"I  saw  his  hand  stretched  out,  an'  I  thought  he 
was  going  to  grab  me.  But  next  I  knew  I  was 
pushed  right  back  an'  the  car  knocked  me  flat. 
B'fore  I  lost  my  senses,  it  seemed  to  me  that  that 
one-eyed  swab  was  down  on  his  knees  going 
through  my  pockets." 

"Robbing  you?"  gasped  Drew. 

"Well — mebbe  I  dreamed  it.  I've  been  puzzling 
over  it  ever  since  I've  been  lying  here.  I  didn't 
lose  my  watch,  nor  yet  my  wallet,  that's  sure,"  and 


Capricious  Fortune  93 

Tyke  grinned.  "But  it  certainly  was  a  queer  expe- 
rience. An'  I'd  like  to  know  who  that  one-eyed 
feller  is." 

"How  badly  is  your  leg  hurt  ?"  asked  Drew. 

"Might  have  been  worse,"  answered  Tyke.  "Doc- 
tor says  my  knee's  wrenched  an'  the  ligaments  torn, 
but  there's  nothing  that  can't  be  mended.  I'll  be 
off  my  pins  for  the  next  month  or  two,  they  say. 
So  I  guess  old  Tyke  won't  be  Johnny-on-the-spot 
when  you  dig  up  them  doubloons." 

"Don't  worry  about  that,"  protested  Drew. 
"The  only  important  thing  now  is  that  you  should 
get  well.  The  treasure  can  wait.  We'll  postpone 
the  trip  until  you  get  ready  to  go." 

"No  you  won't!"  declared  Tyke  energetically. 
"You'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind!  You'll  go  right 
ahead  and  look  for  it,  an'  I'll  lie  here  an'  root  for 
you." 

He  was  getting  excited,  and  at  this  juncture  the 
nurse  interposed  and  Drew  had  to  go,  after  prom- 
ising to  come  again  the  first  thing  in  the  morning. 

He  sent  a  message  on  leaving  the  hospital  to  Cap- 
tain Hamilton,  and  the  next  morning  they  went  in 
company  to  visit  the  patient. 

They  were  delighted  to  learn  that  he  was  doing 
well.  There  were  no  complications,  and  it  was 
only  a  matter  of  time  before  the  injured  leg  would 
be  as  well  as  ever. 

The  captain  had  been  grieved  to  hear  of  his  old 


94  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

friend's  mishap.  He  expressed  his  entire  willing- 
ness to  postpone  the  trip  till  some  time  in  the  future 
when  Tyke  could  go  along.  But  the  latter  had  been 
thinking  the  matter  over  and  was  even  more  deter- 
mined than  he  had  been  the  night  before  that  his 
injury  should  not  prevent  the  expedition  going  for- 
ward as  planned. 

"One  man  more  or  less  don't  make  any  differ- 
ence," he  declared.  "Of  course,  I'd  set  my  heart 
on  going  with  you,  an'  I  ain't  denying  it's  a  sore 
disappointment  to  have  to  lie  here  like  some  old 
derelict.  But  it  would  worry  me  a  good  deal  more 
to  know  that  I  was  knocking  the  whole  plan  to 
flinders.  Our  agreement  still  stands,  except  that 
I'll  have  to  be  a  silent  partner  instead  of  an  active 
one.  Allen  can  represent  me,  as  well  as  himself, 
when  you  git  to  the  island.  But  I  can  do  my  part 
in  outfitting  the  expedition  as  well  as  though  I  was 
on  my  feet.  My  leg  is  out  of  commission,  but  my 
arm  isn't,  an'  I  can  still  sign  checks,"  and  he 
chuckled.  "You  fellers  go  right  ahead  now  and  git 
busy." 

There  was  no  swerving  him  from  his  determina- 
tion, and,  although  reluctantly,  they  were  forced 
to  acquiesce.  The  captain  went  ahead  with  his 
preparations,  and  Drew  redoubled  his  activities, 
as  now  he  had  to  do  two  men's  work.  But  his 
superb  vitality  laughed  at  work  and  he  became  so 
engrossed  in  it  that  he  forgot  everything  else. 


Capricious  Fortune  95 

Except  Ruth  Adams! 

Consciously  or  sub-consciously,  her  gracious 
memory  was  with  him  always. 

In  the  first  rush  of  exultation  that  he  felt  when 
he  found  himself  admitted  as  an  equal  partner  in 
the  possible  gains  of  the  expedition,  he  had  over- 
looked the  fact  that  it  meant  an  absence,  more  or 
less  prolonged,  from  the  city  where  he  supposed 
Ruth  Adams  to  be.  How  many  things  might  hap- 
pen in  the  interval !  Suppose  in  his  absence  some 
fortunate  man  should  woo  and  w7in  her?  A  girl 
so  attractive  could  not  fail  to  have  suitors.  He 
felt  that  the  golden  fruit  he  might  get  on  the  expe- 
dition would  turn  to  ashes  if  he  could  not  lay  it  at 
her  feet. 

So,  tossed  about  by  a  sea  of  alternate  hopes  and 
fears,  the  days  went  by  until  but  forty-eight  hours 
remained  before  the  time  agreed  upon  for  sailing. 

On  Tuesday,  Allen  had  occasion  to  confer  with 
Captain  Hamilton.  Up  to  now,  their  meetings, 
when  it  had  been  necessary  to  see  each  other  on 
business  connected  with  the  trip,  had  been  in  the 
South  Street  office.  And,  what  with  the  multiplied 
demands  on  his  time  and  his  daily  calls  on  Tyke  at 
the  hospital,  Drew  had  not  yet  visited  the  Bertha 
Hamilton.  He  had  planned  to  do  so  more  than 
once,  but  had  found  it  out  of  the  question.  He  told 
himself  that  he  would  have  ample  time  to  get  ac- 
quainted with  the  schooner  from  stem  to  stern  when 


96  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

they  had  left  New  York  behind  them  and  were 
heading  for  the  island  in  the  Caribbean. 

But  to-day  the  conference  was  to  be  aboard  the 
Bertha  Hamilton.  Drew  was  forced  to  confess, 
on  reaching  the  pier  at  which  the  schooner  was 
moored  and  on  catching  his  first  glimpse  of  her, 
that  the  captain  was  justified  in  his  enthusiasm. 
She  was  indeed  a  beauty.  With  her  long,  graceful, 
gently  curving  lines,  she  seemed  more  like  a  yacht 
than  a  merchant  vessel.  She  was  schooner  rigged, 
and,  although  of  course  the  sails  were  furled,  the 
height  of  her  masts  indicated  great  sail-carrying 
capacity.  Everything  about  her  suggested  grace 
and  speed,  and  Drew  did  not  doubt  that  she  could 
show  her  heels  to  almost  any  sailing  craft  in  the 
port. 

As  his  appreciative  eyes  swept  the  vessel  through- 
out its  entire  length  from  stern  rail  to  bowsprit,  his 
admiration  grew.  He  was  glad  that  such  a  craft 
was  to  carry  the  hopes  and  fortunes  of  the  treasure 
hunters.  She  seemed  to  promise  success  in  advance. 

He  went  over  the  plank  and  turned  to  go  aft  in 
search  of  the  captain.  Then  he  stopped  suddenly. 
His  heart  seemed  to  cease  beating  for  an  instant. 
He  found  himself  looking  into  the  hazel  eyes  of 
the  girl  of  whom  he  had  been  dreaming  day  and 
night  since  he  had  first  seen  her  down  on  the  East 
River  docks! 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  DREAM  REALIZED 

FOR  a  moment  Drew  almost  doubted  his  own  eye- 
sight. But  there  was  no  mistake.  There  could  be 
only  one  girl  like  her  in  the  world,  he  told  himself. 
She  was  wearing  a  simple  white  dress  and  her  head 
was  bare.  The  bright  sunshine  rioted  in  her  golden 
hair,  and  her  eyes  were  luminous  and  soft.  A  wave 
of  color  mounted  to  her  forehead  as  she  came  face 
to  face  with  Allen  Drew. 

She  had  turned  the  corner  of  the  deck  house,  and 
they  had  almost  collided.  She  stepped  back,  startled, 
and  Drew  collected  his  scattered  wits  sufficiently 
to  lift  his  hat  and  apologize. 

"I — I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  stammered.  "I 
ought  to  have  been  more  careful." 

"Oh,  it  was  my  fault  entirely,"  she  answered 
graciously.  "I  shouldn't  have  turned  the  corner 
so  sharply." 

What  next  he  might  have  said  Drew  never  knew, 
for  just  then  there  came  a  heavy  step  and  the  sound 
of  a  jovial  voice  behind  him,  and  Captain  Hamil- 
ton's hand  was  grasping  his. 

"So  you  did  manage  to  come  over  and  get  a 
look  at  the  beauty,  did  you?  What  do  you  think 
of  her?" 

97 


98  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"The  most  beautiful  thing  I've  ever  seen!"  an- 
swered Drew  fervently. 

He  might  have  had  a  different  beauty  in  mind 
from  that  which  the  captain  had,  and  perhaps  this 
suspicion  occurred  to  the  girl,  for  the  flush  in  her 
cheek  became  slightly  more  pronounced.  But  the 
unsuspecting  captain  was  hugely  gratified  at  the 
tribute,  though  somewhat  surprise  at  its  ardor. 

A  glance  from  the  girl  reminded  the  captain  of 
a  duty  he  had  overlooked. 

"I  was  forgetting  that  you  two  hadn't  met,"  he 
said.  "Drew,  this  is  my  daughter,  Miss  Hamilton. 
Ruth,  this  is  Mr.  Allen  Drew,  the  young  man  I've 
been  telling  you  so  much  about  lately." 

They  acknowledged  the  introduction  and  for  one 
fleeting,  delicious  moment  her  soft  hand  rested  in 
his. 

So  she  was  Captain  Hamilton's  daughter!  Her 
name  was  not  Adams!  What  a  blind  trail  he  had 
been  following! 

But  Drew's  thoughts  were  interrupted  by  the 
girl's  voice. 

"We  have  met  before,  Daddy,"  Ruth  said  with 
a  smile.  "Don't  you  remember  my  telling  you  about 
the  young  man  who  came  to  my  aid  that  day  when 
I  went  on  an  errand  for  you  to  the  Normandy? 
You  remember — the  day  I  dropped  the  letters  over 
the  side?  That  was  Mr.  Drew." 

"You  don't  say!"  exclaimed  the  captain.     "And 


A  Dream  Realized  99 

here  we've  been  seeing  each  other  every  day  or  so 
and  I've  never  thanked  him.  Drew,  consider  your- 
self thanked  by  a  grateful  father." 

They  all  laughed,  and  then  the  captain  put  his 
hand  on  the  young  man's  shoulder. 

"Come  into  the  cabin  and  let's  get  that  business 
settled.  You'll  excuse  us,  won't  you,  Ruth?"  he 
added,  turning  to  his  daughter.  "We've  got  a  hun- 
dred things  to  do  yet,  and  we  can't  afford  to  lose 
a  minute." 

Ruth  similingly  assented,  and  Drew  was  dragged 
off,  raging  internally,  his  only  comfort  being  the 
glance  she  gave  him  beneath  her  lowered  eyelids. 

He  tried  to  listen  intelligently  to  the  captain's 
talk  and  give  coherent  answers  to  his  questions. 
But  bind  himself  down  as  he  would,  his  mind  and 
heart  were  in  the  wildest  commotion. 

So  she  was  Captain  Hamilton's  daughter!  Her 
name  was  not  Adams !  The  thought  kept  repeating 
itself. 

But  he  had  found  her  now,  he  wildly  exulted. 
The  search  that  might  have  taken  years — that  even 
then  might  not  have  found  her — had  come  to  an 
end.  He  had  been  formally  introduced  to  her.  He 
need  no  longer  worship  from  afar.  Her  father 
was  his  friend.  He  could  see  her,  talk  to  her,  listen 
to  her,  woo  her,  and  at  last  win  her.  Poor  fellow ! 
he  was  so  hard  hit  he  scarcely  knew  how  to  conduct 
himself. 


100  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"As  I  was  saying,"  he  heard  the  captain  remark- 
ing in  a  voice  that  seemed  to  be  coming  from  a 
great  distance,  "young  Parmalee  has  finally  made 
up  his  mind  to  come  with  us.  His  doctor  insists 
that  the  one  thing  he  needs  just  now  is  a  sea  voy- 
age. Not  the  kind  that  he  might  get  on  an  ocean 
steamer,  with  its  formality  and  heavy  meals  and 
chattering  crowds,  but  the  kind  you  can  get  no- 
where but  on  a  sailing  craft." 

"I  suppose  you  had  to  tell  him  just  what  we  were 
going  down  there  to  look  for?"  Drew  forced  him- 
self to  say. 

"Yes,  I  did,  after  putting  him  on  his  word  of 
honor  never  to  breathe  a  word  about  the  object  of 
the  cruise  to  anybody.  I'd  as  lief  have  his  word  as 
any  one's  else  bond." 

"What  did  he  think  about  our  chances  in  such  an 
enterprise  ?" 

"Now,  there's  a  thing  that  rather  surprised  me," 
replied  the  captain.  "To  tell  the  truth,  I  felt  a  lit- 
tle sheepish  about  mentioning  the  doubloons  to  him, 
for  I  rather  expected  him  to  laugh.  But  he  took  it 
in  dead  earnest,  and  honestly  thinks  we  have  a 
chance." 

"Is  he  perfectly  willing,  as  far  as  his  interest  in 
the  schooner  goes,  that  she  shall  be  used  for  this 
purpose?"  Drew  queried. 

"Perfectly.  In  fact,  he  was  enthusiastic  about 
it.  Wouldn't  even  hear  of  any  compensation  for 


A  Dream  Realized  101 

the  use  of  the  vessel.  Said  he  expected  to  get  his 
money's  worth  in  the  fun  he'd  have." 

''He  seems  to  have  a  sportsmanlike  spirit,  all 
right,"  commented  Drew,  with  a  smile. 

"He  surely  has,"  confirmed  the  captain.  "I  think 
you'll  like  him  when  you  come  to  know  him." 

"How  old  is  he?"  " 

"About  your  own  age  I  should  judge.  You're 
twenty-two,  I  think  I've  heard  you  say?  Parmalee 
is  perhaps  twenty-three  or  twenty-four,  but  not 
more  than  that." 

"Have  you  got  your  full  crew  shipped  yet?" 
Drew  inquired,  after  a  pause. 

"Well,  some  of  them  are  aboard,"  was  the  an- 
swer. "We've  got  two  dozen  in  round  numbers, 
but  we  still  need  five  or  six  more  men  before  we  get 
our  full  quota.  Ditty's  ashore  looking  them  up 
now." 

"Do  you  think  they're  going  to  suit  you?" 

"Oh,  I've  seen  better  crews  and  I've  seen  worse," 
answered  the  captain.  "There  are  some  of  them 
whose  faces  I  don't  just  like,  but  that's  true  in  every 
ship's  company.  I  guess  they'll  average  up  all  right. 

"There's  one  thing  I  want  to  show  you,"  went 
on  the  captain,  opening  the  door  of  a  closet  built 
into  the  cabin. 

Drew  looked,  and  was  surprised  to  see  as  many 
as  a  dozen  rifles,  as  well  as  several  revolvers  and  a 
sheaf  of  machetes. 


102  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Why,  it  looks  like  a  small  arsenal!"  he  ex- 
claimed, in  surprise.  "What  on  earth  will  we  want 
all  these  for?  One  might  think  that  we  expected 
to  have  a  scrap  ourselves  with  pirates  on  the  Span- 
ish Main." 

"Not  that  exactly,"  said  the  captain  laconically, 
''but  in  an  enterprise  like  ours  it's  wise  to  take  pre- 
cautions. 'Better  to  be  safe  than  be  sorry.'  If  it's 
known  that  we're  after  treasure,  there  may  be  sun- 
dry persons  who  will  take  an  unwholesome  interest 
in  our  affairs." 

"Do  you  mean  members  of  the  crew?" 

"Not  necessarily;  though  they  may.  It's  not 
likely,  for  it's  probably  nothing  but  a  turtle  cay,  but 
there  may  be  people  living  on  the  island  where  we're 
going  who  would  seriously  dispute  our  right  to  take 
anything  away  and  might  try  to  stop  us.  Few  of 
those  small  islands  are  inhabited;  still,  I'll  feel  a 
good  deal  more  comfortable  to  know  that  I've  got 
these  weapons  stowed  away  where  I  can  get  them 
at  a  moment's  notice.  By  the  way,  do  you  know 
how  to  shoot?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Drew.  "I  belong  to  a  rifle  club, 
and  I'm  a  fairly  good  shot  with  either  a  pistol  or  a 
gun." 

"A  useful  accomplishment,"  commented  the  cap- 
tain. "You  never  know  when  it  may  come  in 
handy." 

Drew  was  wild  to  go  on  deck  again  to  talk  with 


A  Dream  Realized  103 

Ruth.  He  had  scarcely  exchanged  three  sentences 
with  her,  and  there  were  a  thousand  things  he 
wanted  to  say.  The  time  was  getting  so  terribly 
short !  In  two  days  more  he  would  be  sailing  away 
with  her  father,  leaving  her  behind,  and  months 
might  elapse  before  he  could  see  her  again. 

It  was  his  eager  desire  just  now  to  get  her  inter- 
ested in  him  to  some  extent,  so  that  she  would 
think  of  him  sometimes  while  he  was  away ;  to  give 
her  some  hint  of  the  tumult  in  his  heart;  to  let  her 
guess  something  of  the  wealth  of  homage  and  ado- 
ration she  had  inspired.  Surely,  if  he  could  talk 
with  her,  she  could  not  fail  to  see  something  of 
what  he  felt.  And  seeing,  she  might  perhaps 
respond. 

"I  suppose  you'll  find  it  hard  to  leave  your  daugh- 
ter behind?"  he  ventured  to  say. 

The  captain  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

"Bless  your  heart,  I'm  not  going  to  leave  her 
behind !"  he  exclaimed.  "She's  going  with  us  after 
those  doubloons,"  and  he  laughed. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   SATISFACTORY  OUTLOOK 

DREW  was  transported  with  delight,  but  he  threw 
a  certain  carelessness  into  his  tone  as  he  observed : 

"I  remember.  Does  she  know  what  we're  going 
for?" 

"Oh  yes,"  replied  her  father.  "She  and  I  are 
great  chums,  and  I  don't  keep  anything  from  her. 
She  wanted  to  go  with  me  anyway  when  I  was 
thinking  of  taking  on  a  cargo  for  Galveston,  and 
now  that  she  knows  treasure  is  in  the  wind,  she's 
more  eager  than  ever.  You  know  how  romantic 
girls  are,  and  she's  looking  forward  with  immense 
pleasure  to  this  unusual  venture  of  ours." 

Drew  would  have  liked  to  ask  whether  the  cap- 
tain's wife  were  going  too,  but  he  felt  that  he  might 
be  treading  on  delicate  ground,  so  he  used  a  round- 
about method. 

"I  don't  suppose  there'll  be  any  other  women  in 
the  company?"  he  said  lightly. 

"No,"  replied  the  captain,  a  little  soberly.  "When 
my  wife  was  alive  she  used  to  go  with  me  occa- 
sionally on  my  voyages.  The  schooner's  named  for 
her.  But  she's  been  dead  for  three  years  now,  and 
as  Ruth  is  the  only  child  I  have,  she  and  I  will  be 

104 


A  Satisfactory  Outlook  105 

thrown  together  more  closely  than  ever.  She's 
finished  school. 

"But  I'm  keeping  you,"  he  added,  rising  from  the 
table  at  which  they  had  been  sitting;  "and  I  suppose 
you've  got  more  work  on  your  hands  than  you 
know  how  to  attend  to." 

Drew  rose  with  alacrity. 

"I  am  pretty  busy,  for  a  fact,"  he  assented. 
"That  accident  to  Mr.  Grimshaw  has  just  about 
doubled  my  work.  But  it  isn't  getting  the  upper 
hand  of  me,  and  by  the  time  we  are  ready  to  sail 
I'll  have  tied  all  the  lose  ends." 

"That's  good.  By  the  way,  speaking  of  Tyke, 
how  did  you  find  him  this  morning?  I  suppose  you 
stopped  in  at  the  hospital  on  your  way  downtown 
as  usual?" 

"Yes.  He's  getting  along  in  prime  shape,  but  he's 
as  sore  as  the  mischief  because  he  can't  go  along." 

"It's  too  bad,"  remarked  the  captain  sympatheti- 
cally. "I'd  have  liked  to  have  him  along,  not  only 
for  his  company,  but  for  his  shrewdness  as  well. 
He's  got  a  level  head  on  those  shoulders  of  his,  and 
his  advice  at  times  might  come  in  mighty  handy. 

"I  won't  go  on  deck  with  you,  if  you'll  excuse 
me,"  continued  the  captain,  reaching  out  his  hand 
for  a  farewell  shake,  "because  I've  some  work  to  do 
in  connection  with  my  clearance  papers.  Good-bye/' 

The  young  man  was  perfectly  willing  to  be  de- 
prived of  the  captain's  further  company,  much  as 


106  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

he  liked  him.  The  captain's  daughter  would  make 
a  very  good  substitute.  He  hoped  ardently  that 
she,  unlike  her  father,  would  have  no  business  to 
keep  her  below. 

His  hopes  were  realized,  for  he  caught  sight  of 
her  leaning  on  the  rail  and  gazing  out  upon  the 
river  with  as  much  absorption  as  though  she  had 
never  seen  it  before. 

Possibly  it  did  interest  her.  Possibly,  too,  she 
had  forgotten  all  about  the  handsome  young  man 
who  was  in  conference  with  her  father  in  the  cabin. 
Possibly  she  had  not  been  stirred  by  the  adoration 
in  his  eyes  or  the  agitation  in  his  voice.  So  many 
things  are  possible! 

Anyway,  despite  a  heightened  color  in  her  cheeks 
and  a  starry  brightness  in  her  eyes,  her  start  of  sur- 
prise, as  she  looked  up  and  saw  Drew  standing 
beside  her,  was  done  very  well  indeed. 

"So  you  conspirators  have  got  through  plotting 
already,"  she  said  lightly. 

"Yes,"  Drew  laughed;  "we've  been  going  over 
every  link  of  the  chain  and  have  decided  that  it  is 
good  and  strong.  Not  that  my  judgment  was 
worth  very  much,  I  fear,  this  morning." 

"Why  not?"  she  asked  demurely. 

"Because  I  couldn't  put  my  mind  on  it,"  he  an- 
swered. "My  wits  were  wool  gathering.  I 
scarcely  heard  what  your  father  said.  I'm  glad  he 
isn't  a  mind  reader." 


A  Satisfactory  Outlook  107 

"So  few  people  are." 

"I  wish  you  were,"  he  said  earnestly. 

She  stiffened  a  little,  and  from  that  he  took 
warning.  He  must  check  the  impetuous  words  that 
strove  for  utterance.  He  had  but  barely  met  her. 
How  was  she  to  know  the  feelings  that  had  pos- 
sessed him  since  their  casual  encounter  on  the  pier  ? 
He  must  not  frighten  her  by  trying  to  sweep  her  off 
her  feet.  This  citadel  was  to  be  captured,  if  at  all, 
by  siege  rather  than  by  storm.  He  would  risk  dis- 
aster by  being  premature. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  said  in  a  lighter  tone,  "that 
it  was  the  surprise  of  my  life  when  I  found  that 
your  name  was  Hamilton?" 

"Why  should  it  have  been  a  surprise?"  she 
asked. 

"Because  I  had  been  thinking  all  along  that  your 
name  was  Adams." 

"What  made  you  think  that?"  she  inquired  in 
genuine  surprise. 

"W — why,"  he  stammered,  "I  saw  that  name  on 
one  of  the  letters  when  I  picked  up  the  packet  from 
the  grating  of  the  boat." 

She  flushed. 

"You  musn't  think,"  he  said  earnestly,  "that  I 
tried  to  pry.  If  I'd  done  that,  I'd  have  found  out 
the  address  at  the  same  time.  The  name  just  looked 
up  at  me,  and  I  couldn't  help  seeing  it." 

His  tone  carried  conviction,  and  she  unbent. 


108  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"I  can  see  how  you  made  the  mistake,"  she 
smiled.  "The  letter  on  top  of  the  packet  was  ad- 
dressed to  a  very  dear  friend  whose  first  name  hap- 
pens to  be  the  same  as  mine.  She  and  I  were  great 
chums  in  boarding  school.  The  letter  had  been 
sent  to  her  by  a  girl  we  both  knew  and  who  had 
been  traveling  abroad,  and  as  Ruth  knew  I  would 
be  interested  in  it,  she  sent  it  on  for  me  to  read." 

"That  explains  the  foreign  stamp,"  he  com- 
mented. 

"You  noticed  that  too,  did  you?"  she  asked,  flash- 
ing a  mischievous  glance  at  him.  "Really,  you 
took  in  a  lot  at  a  single  look.  You  ought  to  be  a 
detective." 

"I  wish  I  were,"  said  Drew,  as  he  thought  rue- 
fully of  the  unavailing  plans  he  had  made  to  find 
her.  I'm  afraid  I'm  a  pretty  bungling  amateur." 

"Well,  you  were  only  half  wrong,  anyway,"  she 
answered.  "The  first  part  of  the  name  was  right." 

"Yes,"  he  admitted.  "But  that  didn't  help  me 
much.  The  last  one  didn't  either  for  that  matter. 
There  are  so  many  Adamses  in  the  city." 

"How  do  you  know?"  she  challenged. 

He  grew  red.  "I — I  looked  in  the  directory,"  he 
confessed. 

She  thought  it  high  time  to  change  the  subject. 

"I  suppose  it  will  be  quite  a  wrench  to  say  good- 
bye to  your  people  here,"  she  remarked. 

"I  haven't  any,"  replied  Drew.    "My  father  and 


A  Satisfactory  Outlook  109 

my  mother  died  when  I  was  small.  The  only 
brother  I  have  is  out  West,  and  I  haven't  seen  him 
for  years.  I've  been  boarding  since  I  came  to  the 
city,  five  years  ago." 

"Oh,  I'm  sorry,"  she  said  with  ready  sympathy. 
"I  know  something  of  how  you  feel,  because  I  lost 
my  own  mother  three  years  ago.  I've  been  in 
boarding  school  most  of  the  time  since  then.  So  I 
know  what  it  is  to  be  without  a  real  home.  Some- 
times our  only  home  was  on  shipboard." 

"But  it's  always  possible  to  make  a  real  home," 
said  Drew  daringly.  Then  he  checked  himself  and 
bit  his  lip.  That  troublesome  tongue  of  his !  When 
would  he  learn  to  control  it? 

She  pretended  not  to  have  heard  him. 

"I  have  my  father  left,"  she  went  on;  "and  he's 
the  best  father  in  the  world." 

"And  the  luckiest,"  put  in  Drew. 

"He  didn't  want  to  take  me  on  this  trip  at  first," 
she  continued,  "but  the  most  of  my  relatives  and 
friends  are  in  California,  and  I  knew  I'd  be  hor- 
ribly lonely  in  New  York.  So  I  begged  and  teased 
him  to  let  me  go  along,  and  at  last  he  gave  in." 

"Of  course  he  would,"  Drew  said  with  convic- 
tion. "How  could  he  help  it?" 

He  knew  that  if  she  should  ask  him,  Allen  Drew, 
for  the  moon  he  would  promise  it  to  her  without  the 
slightest  hesitation.  He  wished  he  dared  tell  her  so. 

"Have  you  ever  been  to  sea?"  she  asked. 


110  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"No,"  replied  Allen.  "But  I've  always  wanted 
to  go." 

And  he  told  her  of  the  longing  that  had  sprung 
up  in  him  when  Captain  Peters  had  spoken  so  indi  f - 
ferently  about  the  wonder-lands  of  mystery  and 
romance  to  which  his  bark  was  sailing. 

While  he  talked,  she  was  studying  him  closely,  as 
is  the  way  of  girls,  without  appearing  to  do  so.  She 
noted  the  stalwart  well-knit  figure,  the  handsome 
features — the  strong  straight  nose,  the  broad  fore- 
head, the  brown  eyes  that  sparkled  with  animation. 

Drew  was  at  his  best  when  he  talked,  especially 
when  his  audience  was  attentive,  and  there  was  no 
doubt  that  his  audience  of  one  was  that.  She  lis- 
tened almost  in  silence  only  putting  in  a  word  now 
and  then. 

The  thought  came  to  him  that  he  might  be  boring 
her,  and  he  stopped  abruptly. 

"If  I  keep  on,  you'll  be  talked  to  death,"  he  said 
apologetically. 

"Not  at  all,"  she  protested.  "I've  been  intensely 
interested.  I'm  glad  you  feel  so  strongly  about  far- 
off  places,  because  you're  sure  to  find  plenty  of 
romance  where  we  are  going." 

"And  treasure,  the  doubloons,  too — don't  forget 
the  doubloons,"  he  laughed,  lowering  his  voice  and 
looking  around  to  see  that  no  one  was  listening. 

"And  that  too,"  she  agreed.  "I  suppose  you've 
spent  your  share  already?"  she  bantered. 


A  Satisfactory  Outlook  111 

"Well,  I'm  not  quite  so  optimistic  as  all  that/'  he 
laughed.  "But  I  really  think  we  have  a  chance. 
Don't  you?" 

"Indeed  I  do !"  she  exclaimed.  "I  don't  think  it's 
a  wild  goose  chase  at  all!" 

"I'm  glad  you  feel  that  way  about  it." 

"Even  if  things  go  wrong,  we  can't  be  altogether 
cheated,"  she  went  on.  "We'll  have  had  lots  of  fun 
looking  for  our  treasure.  Then,  too,  we'll  have  had 
the  voyage,  and  the  schooner  is  a  splendid  sailing 
craft." 

"She's  a  beauty,"  assented  Drew.  "I  don't  won- 
der you're  proud  of  her." 

"It  was  really  quite  flattering  that  you  men 
should  tell  me  what  you  were  going  for,"  she  said 
mockingly.  "You're  always  saying  that  a  woman 
can't  keep  a  secret." 

"I  don't  feel  that  way,"  protested  Drew.  "And 
to  prove  it,  I'll— 

"Listen !"  said  Ruth  hurriedly.  "Wasn't  that  my 
father  calling  me?" 

"I  didn't  hear  him,"  he  replied,  looking  at  her 
suspiciously. 

"I  think  I'd  better  go  and  make  sure,"  decided 
Ruth,  moved  by  a  sudden  impulse  of  filial  duty. 

"Let  him  call  again,"  suggested  Drew. 

But  Ruth  was  sure  that  this  audacious  young 
man  had  said  quite  enough  for  one  morning,  and 
she  held  out  her  hand. 


112  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Good-bye,"  she  smiled.  "I  know  from  what 
my  father  has  told  me  that  you  have  an  awful  lot 
to  do  to  get  ready  for  the  trip." 

"Have  I?"  rejoined  Drew.  "I'd  forgotten  all 
about  them." 

They  laughed. 

He  held  the  soft  hand  and  fluttering  fingers  a 
trifle  longer  than  was  absolutely  necessary,  and 
after  he  released  them  he  stood  watching  her  lithe 
figure  until  she  disappeared. 

When  Drew  left  the  Bertha  Hamilton  he  was 
treading  on  air  and  his  head  was  in  the  clouds. 

His  dream  had  come  true — part  of  it  at  least.  He 
had  found  her,  had  talked  with  her.  He  was  going 
to  sail  in  the  same  ship  with  her.  They  would  be 
thrown  together  constantly  in  the  enforced  intimacy 
of  an  ocean  voyage.  He  would  see  her  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  the  afternoon,  in  the  evening.  And  at  last 
he  would  win  her.  The  last  part  of  his  dream 
would  be  realized  as  surely  as  the  first  had  been. 

But  when  he  got  back  to  the  shop  he  found  that 
he  was  in  a  practical  world  whose  claims  refused 
to  be  ignored.  Winters  still  needed  a  lot  of  coach- 
ing, and  the  time  was  short.  The  business  must  not 
suffer  while  Drew  was  gone. 

One  thing  lifted  from  his  shoulders  some  of  the 
weight  of  responsibility.  Tyke  would  be  at  hand 
to  superintend  things  and  to  keep  a  check  on  Win- 
ter's inexperience.  To  be  sure,  he  would  be  in  the 


A  Satisfactory  Outlook  113 

hospital  for  some  time  to  come,  but  Winters  could 
go  to  see  him  every  evening,  and  get  help  in  his 
problems. 

The  Bertha  Hamilton  was  to  sail  at  high  tide  on 
Thursday  morning,  and  by  Wednesday  night  Drew 
had  sent  his  baggage  on  board  and  had  settled  the 
last  item  that  belonged  to  Tyke's  part  of  the  con- 
tract. Everything  from  now  on  was  in  the  hands 
of  Captain  Hamilton. 

He  went  up  to  the  hospital  to  report  to  his  em- 
ployer and  to  say  farewell.  They  talked  long  and 
late,  and  both  were  strongly  moved  when  they 
shook  hands  in  parting.  Who  knew  what  might 
happen  before  they  met  again?  Who  knew  that 
they  ever  would  meet  again  ? 

"Good-bye,  Mr.  Grimshaw,"  said  Drew.  "I  hope 
you'll  be  as  well  and  as  strong  as  ever  when  I  get 
back." 

"Good-bye,  Allen,"  responded  Tyke,  with  a  sus- 
picious moisture  in  his  eyes.  "I'll  be  rooting  for 
you  an'  thinking  of  you  all  the  time.  Good-bye  an' 
good  luck." 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  Drew  stepped  on 
board  the  Bertha  Hamilton  and  the  most  thrilling 
experience  of  his  life  had  begun. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

STORM    SIGNALS 

NATURALLY  Drew's  first  thought  as  he  glanced 
about  the  vessel,  was  of  Ruth.  But  it  was  too  early 
for  the  young  lady  to  be  in  evidence. 

Captain  Hamilton  met  him  with  a  cordial  grasp 
of  the  hand,  and  took  him  down  to  the  room  as- 
signed to  him  for  the  voyage.  It  was  one  of  a 
series  of  staterooms  on  either  side  of  a  narrow 
corridor  aft,  and,  although  of  course  small,  it  was 
snug  and  comfortable. 

There  was  a  berth  built  against  one  side  of  the 
room.  Apart  from  a  tiny  washstand,  with  bowl 
and  pitcher,  and  a  small  swinging  rack  for  a  few 
books,  a  chair  completed  the  equipment  of  the  state- 
room. The  room  was  immaculately  neat  and  clean, 
and  in  a  glass  on  the  washstand  was  a  tiny  bunch 
of  violets.  Drew  wondered  who  had  put  it  there. 

"Rather  cramped,"  laughed  the  captain;  "but  we 
sailors  have  learned  how  to  live  in  close  quarters, 
and  you'll  soon  get  used  to  it.  There  are  some  draw- 
ers built  into  the  side  where  you  can  put  your 
clothes,  and  your  trunk  and  bags  can  go  under  the 
berth." 

"Drew,  with  his  eyes  and  thoughts  on  the  flowers, 
hastened  to  assure  the  captain  that  there  was 
plenty  of  room. 

114 


Storm  Signals  115 

"The  stateroom  next  to  yours,  I  had  set  aside  for 
Tyke,"  said  Captain  Hamilton  regretfully.  "It's 
too  bad  that  the  old  boy  isn't  coming.  The  one  on 
the  other  side  is  Parmalee's." 

"I  suppose  he  hasn't  come  aboard  yet?"  half 
questioned  Drew,  as  he  unstrapped  his  bags,  pre- 
paratory to  putting  their  contents  in  the  drawers. 

"Oh,  yes  he  has,"  returned  the  captain.  "He 
came  aboard  last  night.  I  suppose  he's  still  asleep. 
Haven't  heard  him  stirring  yet." 

"What  time  do  you  expect  to  pull  out?"  asked 
Drew. 

"Almost  any  minute  now.  We've  got  everything 
aboard  and  we're  only  waiting  for  the  tug  that  will 
take  us  down  the  bay.  The  wind's  not  so  fair  this 
morning." 

The  captain  excused  himself  and  went  on  deck, 
and  a  little  later,  having  finished  his  unpacking,  the 
younger  man  followed  him. 

The  one  person  on  whom  his  thoughts  were  cen- 
tered was  still  invisible,  and  Drew  had  ample  time 
to  watch  the  busy  scene  upon  the  schooner's  deck. 
The  members  of  the  crew  were  hurrying  about  in 
obedience  to  shouted  orders,  stowing  away  the  last 
boxes  and  provisions  that  had  come  on  board. 

The  sails  were  in  stops  ready  to  be  broken  out 
when  the  vessel  should  be  out  in  the  stream.  A 
snorting  tug  was  nosing  her  way  alongside.  A 
slight  mist  that  had  rested  on  the  surface  of  the 


116  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

water  was  being  rapidly  dissipated  by  the  freshen- 
ing breeze,  and  over  the  Long  Island  horizon  the 
sun  was  coming  up,  red  and  resplendent. 

Drew  made  his  way  along  the  deck  until  he  came 
near  the  foremast,  where  the  mate  was  standing, 
bawling  orders  to  the  men.  He  was  a  tall,  spare 
man,  and  in  his  voice  there  was  a  ring  of  authority, 
not  to  say  truculence,  that  boded  ill  for  any  man 
who  did  not  jump  when  spoken  to.  His  back  was 
toward  Drew,  but  there  was  something  about  the 
figure  that  seemed  familiar. 

While  he  was  wondering  why  this  was  so,  the 
man  turned,  and,  with  amazement,  Drew  saw  that 
the  mate  of  the  Bertha  Hamilton  was  the  one-eyed 
man  with  whom  he  had  had  his  unpleasant  en- 
counter upon  the  Jones  Lane  wharf. 

There  was  a  flash  of  recognition  and  plenty  of 
insolence  in  that  one  eye  as  it  was  turned  upon 
Drew,  but  the  next  moment  the  man  had  turned  his 
back  and  was  again  bellowing  at  the  sailors. 

Drew  had  a  feeling  of  discomfort.  He  knew 
from  the  look  the  mate  had  given  him  that  he  still 
cherished  malice.  It  was  unpleasant  to  have  a  dis- 
cordant note  struck  at  the  very  outset  of  the  voyage. 
And  then,  there  was  the  suspicious  circumstance 
of  Grimshaw's  accident.  A  one-eyed  seaman  had 
figured  in  that.  Should  he  go  to  Captain  Hamilton 
and  report  his  vague  suspicions  of  this  fellow? 

He  had  no  time  to  pursue  the  thought,  however, 


Storm  Signals  117 

for  at  that  moment  he  heard  the  clang  of  a  gong, 
and  an  ambulance  came  dashing  out  on  the  pier 
just  as  the  moorings  of  the  Bertha  Hamilton  were 
about  to  be  cast  off. 

Drew's  first  thought  was  that  an  accident  had 
happened,  and  he  hurried  over  to  the  starboard  rail. 

The  ambulance  had  stopped,  and  two  white-clad 
attendants  were  helping  out  a  man  who  had  been 
reclining  on  a  mattress  within.  They  stood  him  on 
one  foot  while  they  slipped  a  pair  of  crutches  under 
his  arms.  The  man  lifted  his  head,  and,  with  a  yell 
of  delight,  Drew  leaped  to  the  wharf. 

It  was  Tyke  Grimshaw!  Pale  and  haggard  the 
old  man  looked,  but  his  indomitable  spirit  was  still 
in  evidence  and  his  eyes  twinkled  with  the  old 
wrhimsical  smile. 

"Hurrah!"  yelled  Drew. 

The  cry  was  echoed  by  Captain  Hamilton,  who 
had  likewise  leaped  from  the  taffrail  to  the  pier. 

"Didn't  expect  to  see  me,  eh?"  queried  Tyke, 
while  the  ambulance  men  stood  by,  grinning. 

"No,  I  didn't,"  roared  Captain  Hamilton,  grip- 
ping him  by  one  hand  while  Drew  held  the  other. 
"But  I  can't  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  that  you  made 
up  your  mind  to  come." 

"We  might  have  known  you'd  get  here  if  you 
had  to  walk  on  your  hands,"  cried  Drew  jubilantly. 

"Had  to  fight  like  the  mischief  to  get  them  doc- 
tors to  let  me  come,"  chortled  Tyke,  evidently  de- 


118  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

lighted  by  the  warmth  of  the  greeting.  "They  told 
me  I  was  jest  plumb  crazy  to  think  of  it.  But  after 
Allen,  here,  left  me  last  night  I  got  so  lonesome 
an'  restless  there  was  no  holding  me.  Seemed  like 
I'd  go  wild  if  I'd  had  to  stay  in  that  sick-bay  while 
you  fellers  were  sniffing  the  sea  air.  So  I  jest 
reared  up  on  my  hind  legs,  as  you  might  say,  an' 
they  had  to  let  me  come." 

"And  you  got  here  just  in  the  nick  of  time,"  said 
the  captain.  "Ten  minutes  more  and  we'd  have 
been  slipping  down  the  river." 

Carefully  supporting  him  on  either  side,  for  he 
found  the  unaccustomed  crutches  awkward,  Cap- 
tain Hamilton  and  Drew  helped  him  on  board  the 
vessel  and  seated  him  comfortably  in  a  deck  chair. 

Tyke  drew  in  great  draughts  of  the  salt-laden  air 
and  his  eyes  glistened  as  he  scrutinized  the  lines 
and  spars  of  the  schooner,  noting  her  beauties  with 
the  expert  eye  of  the  sailor. 

"Great  little  craft,"  he  said  approvingly.  "I 
wouldn't  have  missed  sailing  on  her  for  the  world. 
A  cruise  in  a  tidy  schooner  like  this  will  do  me 
more  good  than  them  blamed  doctors  could  if  they 
fiddled  around  me  for  a  year." 

"How  is  your  leg  feeling  now?"  asked  Drew 
solicitously. 

"Better  already,"  grinned  Tyke.  "In  less'n  a 
week  I'll  be  chucking  these  crutches  overboard.  See 
if  I  don't." 


Storm  Signals  119 

Suddenly  Tyke  fell  silent.  Drew  turned  swiftly 
and  saw  that  the  old  man  was  staring  under  bent 
brows  at  the  mate  of  the  schooner. 

"Who's  that?"  Tyke  finally  demanded. 

"That's  Ditty — my  mate,"  said  Captain  Hamil- 
ton. "I  told  you  he  was  no  handsome  dog, 
didn't  I?" 

"Ugh !''  grunted  Tyke,  and  said  no  more. 

Before  Drewr  could  ask  the  question  that  was  on 
the  tip  of  his  tongue,  a  musical  voice  at  his  elbow 
said  : 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Drew." 

He  was  on  his  feet  in  a  flash,  holding  out  his 
hand  in  eager  greeting.  "I  was  wondering  when 
I  was  going  to  see  you!"  he  exclaimed. 

"You'll  probably  see  too  much  of  me  before  this 
voyage  is  over,"  Ruth  said  demurely.  "I  expect 
you  men  will  be  frightfully  bored  with  one  lone 
woman  hovering  around  all  the  time." 

Drew's  eyes  were  eloquent  with  denial. 

"Impossible!"  he  said  emphatically.  Then  he  be- 
came conscious  that  Tyke  was  looking  on  with  some 
curiosity. 

"Oh,  I  forgot,"  he  said.  "Mr.  Grimshaw,  this  is 
Miss  Hamilton,  Captain  Hamilton's  daughter. 
Miss  Hamilton,  this  is  Captain  Grimshaw." 

Ruth  held  out  her  hand,  but  Tyke  deliberately 
drew  her  to  him  and  kissed  her  on  the  cheek.  She 
extricated  herself  blushingly. 


120  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"An  old  man's  privilege,  my  dear,"  said  Tyke 
placidly.  "An'  I've  known  your  father  going  on 
thirty  years." 

Drew  wished  that  it  were  a  young  man's  privi- 
lege as  well. 

"So  you're  Rufus  Hamilton's  daughter,"  went  on 
Tyke.  "My,  my!  An'  pooty  as  a  picture,  too." 

Ruth  flushed  a  little  at  so  open  a  compliment,  but 
smiled  at  Grimshaw  and  said  brightly : 

"I'm  so  glad  you  can  come  with  us.  I  was  dread- 
fully sorry  to  hear  of  your  accident.  It  \vould  have 
been  horrid  for  you  to  stay  cooped  up  in  that  old 
hospital.  Father  has  told  me  how  much  you  had 
counted  on  the  trip." 

"The  old  craft  isn't  a  derelict  jest  yet,"  replied 
Tyke  complacently.  "I'm  afraid  I'll  be  something 
of  a  nuisance  till  I  get  steady  on  my  pins  again,  but 
I'll  try  not  to  be  too  much  in  the  way." 

"We'll  all  be  glad  to  wait  on  you,  I'm  sure,"  pro- 
tested Ruth,  with  another  smile  that  won  Grimshaw 
completely. 

"I'll  go  down  now  and  see  how  Wah  Lee  is  get- 
ting along  with  breakfast,"  the  girl  continued.  "I've 
no  doubt  you  folks  will  be  hungry  enough  to  do 
justice  to  it." 

"This  air  would  give  an  appetite  to  a  mummy," 
declared  Drew. 

"I'm  some  sharp  set  myself,"  admitted  Tyke,  as 
the  fragrance  of  steaming  coffee  was  wafted  to  him 


Storm  Signals  121 

from  the  cook's  galley.  "Jest  the  very  thought  of 
eating  in  a  ship's  cabin  again  makes  me  hungry." 

Drew's  eyes  followed  the  girl  as  she  disappeared 
down  the  companionway,  and  when  he  looked  up  it 
was  to  find  Tyke  regarding  him  amusedly. 

''So  that's  the  way  the  wind  blows,  is  it?"  the 
old  man  chuckled. 

"Nonsense!"  disclaimed  Drew,  although  con- 
scious that  his  tone  did  not  carry  conviction.  "She's 
a  very  nice  girl,  but  this  is  only  the  second  time  I've 
met  her."  To  avoid  further  prodding,  he  added : 
"I'll  go  down  to  your  room  and  see  if  that  Jap  has 
put  things  shipshape  for  you." 

As  he  went  to  the  room  reserved  for  Grimshaw, 
he  met  Ruth  just  coming  out  of  it.  Her  skirts 
brushed  against  him  in  the  narrow  corridor  and 
he  tingled  to  the  finger  tips. 

"I've  just  put  a  few  flowers  in  Mr.  Grimshaw's 
room,"  she  said.  "They  seem  to  make  the  bare 
little  cubby  holes  a  bit  more  homey,  don't  you 
think?  I  thought  they  would  be  a  sort  of  wel- 
come." 

Drew  agreed  with  her,  but  the  hope  he  had  been 
hugging  to  his  breast  that  he  had  been  singled  out 
for  special  attention  vanished. 

"I  was  foolish  enough  to  think  that  I  had  them 
all,"  he  confessed  with  a  sheepish  grin. 

"What  a  greedy  man!"  she  laughed.  "No,  in- 
deed! Did  you  think  I  was  going  to  overlook  my 


122  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

father  or  Mr.  Parmalee?  You  men  are  so  con- 
ceited !" 

As  though  the  mention  of  his  name  had  sum- 
moned him,  the  door  of  a  neighboring  stateroom 
opened  just  then  and  a  young  man  stepped  out.  He 
smiled  pleasantly  as  his  gaze  fell  on  Ruth. 

"Good  morning,  Miss  Ruth.  I'm  incorrigibly 
lazy,  I'm  afraid,"  he  remarked,  "or  else  this  good 
air  is  responsible  for  my  sleeping  more  soundly 
than  for  a  long  time  past." 

Ruth  assured  him  that  it  was  still  early. 

"If  you  are  lazy,  the  sun  is  too/'  she  said,  "for, 
like  yourself,  it  has  just  risen." 

"That  makes  him  lazier,"  returned  Parmalee, 
"for  he  went  to  rest  a  good  deal  earlier  than  I  did 
last  night." 

Ruth  laughed,  and,  after  introducing  the  young 
men  to  each  other,  she  vanished  in  the  direction  of 
the  captain's  cabin. 

The  pair  exchanged  the  usual  commonplaces  as 
they  moved  toward  the  companionway.  Parmalee 
walked  with  some  difficulty,  leaning  on  a  cane,  and 
Drew  had  to  moderate  his  pace  to  keep  in  step. 
When  they  emerged  into  the  full  light  of  the  upper 
deck,  Drew  had  a  chance  to  gain  an  impression  of 
the  man  who  was  to  be  his  fellow- voyager. 

Lester  Parmalee  was  fully  four  inches  shorter 
than  the  trifle  over  six  feet  to  which  Drew  owned, 
and  his  slender  frame  gave  him  an  appearance  of 


Storm  Signals  123 

fragility.  This  impression  was  heightened  by  the 
cane  on  which  he  leaned  and  the  lines  in  his  face 
which  bespoke  delicate  health.  His  complexion 
was  pale,  and  seemed  more  pallid  because  of  its 
contrast  with  a  mass  of  coal  black  hair  which  over- 
hung his  rather  high  forehead.  His  nose  and 
mouth  were  good  and  his  eyes  dark  and  keenly  in- 
telligent. Some  would  have  called  him  handsome. 
Others  would  have  qualified  this  by  the  adjective 
romantic.  All  would  have  agreed  that  he  was  a 
gentleman. 

His  physical  weakness  was  atoned  for  to  a  great 
extent  by  other  qualities  that  grew  on  one  by  longer 
acquaintance.  His  manners  were  polished,  his 
mind  trained  and  well  stored.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  Harvard  and  had  traveled  extensively.  His  in- 
herited wealth  had  not  spoiled  him,  although  it  had, 
perhaps,  given  him  too  much  self-assurance  and  just 
a  shade  of  superciliousness. 

The  two  young  men  as  they  chatted  formed  a 
violent  contrast.  If  Drew  suggested  the  Viking 
type,  Parmalee  would,  with  equal  fitness,  have  filled 
the  role  of  a  troubadour.  The  one  was  powerful 
and  direct,  the  other  suave  and  subtle.  One  could 
conceive  of  Drew's  wielding  a  broad  axe,  but  would 
have  put  in  Parmalee's  hands  a  rapier.  Each  had 
his  own  separate  and  distinct  appeal  both  to  men 
and  women. 

Drew  introduced  Parmalee  to  Grimshaw.     Then 


124  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

the  captain  came  along,  and  all  four  were  engaged 
in  an  animated  conversation  when  Namco,  the 
Japanese  steward,  announced: 

"Lady  say  I  make  honorable  report:  Bleakfast!" 

"And  high  time  for  it!"  cried  the  captain.  "I'm 
as  hungry  as  a  hawk  and  I  guess  the  rest  of  you 
are  too.  We'll  go  down  and  see  what  that  slant- 
eyed  Celestial  has  knocked  up  for  us." 

Wah  Lee  had  "done  himself  proud"  in  this  ini- 
tial meal,  which  proved  to  be  abundant,  well- 
cooked  and  appetizing. 

All  were  in  high  spirits  as  they  gathered  about 
the  table.  Ordinarily,  the  mate  would  have  formed 
one  of  the  company  while  the  second  officer  stood 
the  captain's  watch.  But  the  narrow  quarters  and 
the  unusual  number  of  passengers  on  this  trip  made 
it  necessary  that  the  mate  should  eat  after  the  cap- 
tain and  his  guests  had  finished. 

The  captain  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table  while 
Ruth  presided  over  the  coffee  urn  at  the  foot.  Tyke 
sat  at  the  captain's  right,  and  the  two  young  men 
were  placed  one  on  either  side  of  their  hostess. 

She  wore  a  fetching  breakfast  cap,  which  did  not 
prevent  a  rebellious  wisp  or  two  of  golden  hair 
from  playing  about  her  pink  ears.  Her  cheeks  were 
rosy,  her  eyes  sparkling,  and  her  demure  little 
housewifely  air  as  she  poured  the  coffee  was  be- 
witching. The  excitement  of  the  start,  the  novelty 
of  the  quest  on  which  they  had  embarked,  and  the 


Storm  Signals  125 

presence  of  two  young  and  attentive  cavaliers  put 
her  on  her  mettle,  and  she  was  full  of  quaint  sayings 
and  witty  sallies. 

Her  father  gazed  on  her  fondly,  Tyke  beamed 
approvingly,  and  Parmalee's  admiration  was  undis- 
guised. As  for  Drew,  the  havoc  she  had  already 
made  in  his  heart  reached  alarming  proportions. 
He  found  himself  picturing  a  home  ashore,  where 
every  morning  that  face  would  be  opposite  to  him 
at  the  breakfast  table  with  that  ravishing  dimple 
coming  and  going  as  she  smiled  at  him. 

''How  do  you  like  your  coffee?"  she  asked  him, 
her  slender  fingers  hovering  over  the  cream  jug 
and  the  sugar  tongs. 

"Two  lumps  of  cream  and  plenty  of  sugar,"  he 
responded. 

She  laughed  mischievously. 

"We  always  try  to  please,"  she  said;  "but  really 
our  cream  doesn't  come  in  lumps." 

He  reddened. 

"I  surely  did  get  that  twisted,"  he  said  a  little 
sheepishly.  "Suppose  we  put  it  the  other  way 
around." 

"I  guess  your  mind  was  far  away,"  she  jested. 
"You  must  have  been  thinking  of  the  treasure." 

"That's  exactly  right,"  he  returned,  looking  into 
her  eyes  as  he  took  the  cup  she  handed  him.  "I 
was  thinking  of  the  treasure." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

BEGINNING    THE    VOYAGE 

RUTH  bent  a  little  lower  over  her  coffee  urn  to 
hide  the  additional  flush  that  had  come  into  her 
cheeks,  and  after  that  she  guided  the  conversation 
to  safer  ground  and  took  care  to  leave  no  opening 
for  Drew's  audacity. 

The  meal  over,  all  went  on  deck.  The  captain 
took  charge  and  sent  Ditty  and  Rogers,  the  second 
officer,  below  to  get  breakfast.  The  crew  had  al- 
ready breakfasted. 

Tyke  had  been  carefully  helped  up  by  Drew  and 
Captain  Hamilton  and  placed  in  a  chair  abaft  the 
mizzenmast,  where  his  keen  old  eyes  could  delight 
themselves  with  the  activities  of  the  crew.  Ruth 
had  fussed  around  him  prettily  with  cushions  and  a 
rest  for  his  injured  leg,  until  the  veteran  vowed  that 
he  would  surely  be  spoiled  before  the  voyage  was 
over. 

They  had  passed  the  Battery  by  this  time,  and 
were  moving  sluggishly  with  the  tide.  Behind 
them  stretched  the  vast  metropolis,  with  its  wonder- 
ful sky-line  sharply  outlined  by  the  bright  rays  of 
the  morning  sun.  The  Goddess  of  Liberty  held  her 
torch  aloft  as  though  to  guide  them  in  their  venture. 

126 


Beginning  the  Voyage  127 

At  the  right  the  hills  of  Staten  Island  smiled  in  their 
vernal  beauty,  while  at  the  left,  white  stretches  of 
gleaming  beach  indicated  the  pleasure  resorts  where 
the  people  of  the  teeming  city  came  to  play. 

Ditty  had  come  on  deck  again.  Unpleasant 
though  his  countenance  was,  and  as  suspicious  as 
Drew  was  of  him,  it  was  plain  that  the  mate  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton  was  a  good  seaman. 

He  looked  now  at  Captain  Hamilton  for  permis- 
sion to  make  sail.  The  latter  signed  to  him  to  go 
ahead.  Useless  to  pay  towage  with  a  favoring  wind 
and  flowing  tide. 

Ditty  bawled  to  the  crew : 

"Break  her  out,  bullies!    H'ist  away  tops'ls!" 

The  halyards  were  promptly  manned.  One  man 
started  the  chorus  that  jerked  the  main  topsail 
aloft. 

"Oh,  come  all  you  little  yaller  boys 

An'  roll  the  cotton  doivn! 
Oh,  a  husky  pull,  my  bully  boys, 
An'  roll  the  cotton  down!" 

In  a  trice,  it  would  seem,  her  three  topsails  were 
mastheaded  and  the  foretopsail  laid  to  the  mast. 
The  fore-braces  came  in,  hand  over  hand,  the  haw- 
sers were  tossed  overboard  and  the  tug  fell  astern. 
The  Bertha  Hamilton  leaned  gracefully  to  the  fresh- 
ening gale,  and  was  shooting  for  the  Narrows. 


128  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"It  is  perfectly  beautiful,  isn't  it?"  cried  Ruth. 

"Magnificent,"  agreed  Drew. 

"It's  the  finest  harbor  in  all  the  world,  to  my 
mind,"  declared  Parmalee. 

"I  wonder  when  we'll  see  it  again,"  mused  Ruth, 
with  a  touch  of  apprehension  in  her  voice. 

"Oh,  it  won't  be  long  before  we're  back,"  proph- 
esied Parmalee. 

"And  when  we  do  come  back,  we'll  have  enough 
doubloons  with  us  to  buy  up  the  whole  city,"  joked 
Drew. 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,"  smiled  Ruth.  "Those 
who  go  out  to  shear  sometimes  come  back  shorn." 

"We  simply  can't  fail,"  asserted  Drew.  "Espe- 
cially as  we're  taking  a  mascot  along  with  us." 

"The  mascot  may  prove  to  be  a  hoodoo,"  laughed 
Ruth.  "I've  thought  more  than  once  that  I 
shouldn't  have  teased  my  father  to  take  me  along." 

"He'd  have  robbed  the  whole  trip  of  brightness 
if  he  had  refused,"  affirmed  Parmalee. 

"It's  nice  of  you  to  say  that,"  returned  Ruth. 
"But  if  any  serious  trouble  should  come  up,  fighting 
or  anything  of  that  kind,  you  might  find  me  terribly 
in  the  way." 

"We'd  only  have  an  additional  reason  to  fight  the 
harder,"  declared  Drew.  "No  harm  should  come 
to  you  while  any  of  us  were  left  alive.  But  really, 
there's  nothing  to  worry  about.  This  trip  is  going 
to  be  a  summer  excursion." 


Beginning  the  Voyage  129 

"Nothing  more  serious  to  fear  than  the  ghosts  of 
some  of  the  old  pirates  who  may  be  keeping  guard 
over  their  doubloons  and  may  resent  our  intru- 
sion," said  Parmalee. 

"I'm  not  afraid  of  ghosts/'  cried  Ruth.  "It's 
only  creatures  of  flesh  and  blood  that  give  me  any 
worry.'' 

"If  anything  should  come  up/'  said  Drew,  "we're 
in  pretty  good  shape  to  give  the  mischief-makers  a 
tussle.  Your  father  has  a  good  collection  of  weap- 
ons down  in  the  cabin." 

"Yes,"  assented  Ruth;  "and  I  know  how  to  load 
and  handle  a  revolver." 

Drew  put  up  his  hands  in  pretended  fright. 

"Don't  shoot !"  he  pleaded. 

Thus  with  jest  and  compliment  and  banter  the 
time  passed  until  they  were  off  Sandy  Hook.  The 
breeze,  while  brisk,  was  light  enough  to  warrant 
carrying  all  sails,  and  a  cloud  of  canvas  soon  bil- 
lowed from  aloft.  One  after  another  the  sails  were 
broken  out  on  all  three  masts  until  they  creaked 
with  the  strain.  The  Bertha  Hamilton  heeled  over 
to  port,  and  with  every  stitch  drawing  before  a  fol- 
lowing wind  gathered  way  until  she  boomed  along 
at  a  gait  that  swiftly  carried  her  out  of  sight  of 
land.  Before  long  the  Sandy  Hook  Lightship  sank 
from  view  astern,  and  nothing  could  be  seen  on  any 
side  but  the  foam-streaked  billows  of  the  Atlantic. 

When  the  schooner  was  fairly  under  way  and  the 


130  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

watches  had  been  chosen,  the  captain  gave  her  into 
charge  of  the  mate  and  rejoined  Tyke. 

That  grizzled  veteran  was  enjoying  himself  more 
than  he  had  done  at  any  time  for  the  last  twenty 
years.  As  the  old  warhorse  "sniffs  the  battle  from 
afar,"  so  he  already  anticipated  with  delight  the 
coming  battle  with  wind  and  waves. 

"Well,  Tyke,  what  do  you  think  of  her?"  the 
captain  asked. 

"She's  a  jim  dandy!"  ejaculated  Tyke  enthusi- 
astically. "She  rides  the  waves  like  a  feather.  Jest 
slips  along  like  she  was  greased." 

"She's  a  sweet  sailer,"  declared  the  captain 
proudly.  "Just  wait  till  you  see  how  she  manages 
against  head  winds.  Even  when  she's  jammed  up 
right  into  the  wind,  she's  good  for  six  knots,  and 
with  any  kind  of  a  fair  gale,  she's  good  for  ten  or 
twelve." 

"With  ordinary  luck,  then,  we  ought  to  git  to  the 
Caribbean  in  ten  or  twelve  days,"  said  Tyke. 

''Unless  we  meet  up  with  something  that  strips 
our  spars,"  returned  the  captain  confidently.  "Of 
course,  a  hurricane  might  knock  us  out  in  our  cal- 
culations. Taking  it  by  and  large  though,  and 
allowing  for  the  time  we  may  have  to  cruise  around 
before  we  find  the  island  we're  looking  for,  I'm 
figuring  that  we'll  make  Sandy  Hook  again  in  two 
months  all  right." 

"Better  count  on  three  and  be  sure,"  cautioned 


Beginning  the  Voyage  131 

Grimshaw.  "You  know  it  isn't  a  matter  of  simply 
finding  the  island,  staying  there  mebbe  a  day  or  two 
an'  coming  away  again.  This  is  more'n  jest  send- 
ing a  boat's  crew  ashore  for  water.  We  may  be  a 
month  hunting  around  and  trying  to  find  the  pesky 
thing." 

"And  even  then  we  may  not  find  it,"  laughed  the 
captain. 

"Well,  it'll  be  some  satisfaction  if  we  even  find 
the  hole  it  used  to  be  in,"  said  Tyke.  "That'll  show 
that  we  weren't  altogether  fools  in  taking  the  paper 
an'  map  for  gospel  truth.'' 

"I  don't  know  that  there'd  be  much  comfort  in 
that,"  returned  Captain  Hamilton.  "If  you're  hun- 
gry it  doesn't  do  much  good  to  look  at  the  hole  in 
a  doughnut.  There  isn't  much  nourishment  except 
in  the  doughnut  itself,"  and  he  grinned  over  his 
little  joke. 

The  wind  held  fair  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  and 
the  schooner  kept  on  at  a  spanking  gait,  reeling  off 
the  miles  steadily.  By  night  the  increasing  warmth 
of  the  air  showed  how  rapidly  the  South  was 
drawing  near. 

Ruth  was  a  good  sailor  and  felt  no  bad  effect 
from  the  long  ocean  swells  as  the  ship  ploughed 
over  them.  Drew,  too,  who  had  no  sea-going  expe- 
rience at  all  and  had  inwardly  dreaded  possible  sea- 
sickness, was  delighted  to  find  that  he  was  to  be 
exempt. 


132  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Parmalee,  however,  although  he  had  traveled 
extensively,  had  never  been  immune  from  paying 
tribute  to  Neptune.  He  ate  but  little  at  the  noon- 
day meal,  and  when  the  rest  gathered  around  the 
table  at  night  he  did  not  appear  at  all. 

Drew  felt  that  he  should  be  sympathetic,  and,  to 
do  him  justice,  he  tried  to  be.  He  visited  Parmalee 
in  his  cabin,  condoled  with  him,  and  offered  to  be 
of  any  possible  service.  But  Parmalee  wanted 
nothing  except  to  be  let  alone,  and,  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  duty  done,  Drew  left  him  to  his  misery 
and  joined  the  rest  at  the  table. 

"I'm  awfully  sorry  for  poor  Mr.  Parmalee,''  re- 
marked Ruth,  as  she  poured  Drew's  tea. 

"Poor  fellow,"  chimed  in  the  young  man  per- 
functorily. 

"You  don't  say  that  as  though  you  meant  it  at 
all,"  objected  Ruth  reprovingly. 

"What  do  you  expect  me  to  do?"  laughed  Drew. 
"Weep  bitter  tears?  I'll  do  it  if  you  want  me  to. 
In  fact,  I'll  do  anything  you  want  me  to  do — jump 
through  a  hoop,  roll  over,  play  dead,  anything  at 
all." 

"I  didn't  know  you  had  so  many  accomplish- 
ments," remarked  Ruth,  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm. 

"Oh,  I'm  a  perfect  wonder,"  replied  the  young 
man.  "There  isn't  anything  I  can't  do  or  wouldn't 
do — for  you,"  he  added,  dropping  his  voice  so  tha^ 
only  she  could  hear  it. 


Beginning  the  Voyage  133 

Ruth,  however,  pretended  not  to  hear,  and 
addressed  her  next  remark  to  Grimshaw. 

"How  do  you  like  Wah  Lee's  cooking?"  she 
asked. 

"Fine/'  replied  Tyke.  "There's  no  better  cooks 
anywhere  than  the  Chinks.  Want  to  look  out  that 
he  don't  slip  one  over  on  you,  though,  if  the  vic- 
tuals run  short.  Might  serve  up  cat  or  rat  or 
something  of  the  kind  an'  call  it  pork  or  veal.  An' 
he'd  probably  git  away  with  it,  too." 

Ruth  gave  a  little  shudder. 

"Cat  might  not  be  so  bad  at  that,"  remarked  her 
father.  "Down  in  Chili,  for  instance,  they  haven't 
any  rabbits  and  they  serve  up  cats  instead.  'Gato 
piquante'  they  call  it,  which  means  savory  cat.  I've 
never  tasted  it,  but  I  know  those  who  have,  and 
they  say  that  it  makes  the  finest  kind  of  stew." 

"Why  not?"  commented  Drew,  with  a  grin. 
"Catfish  is  good.  So  is  catsup.  Why  not  cat 
stew?" 

"I  think  you  men  are  just  horrid!"  exclaimed 
Ruth.  "Taking  away  poor  Wah  Lee's  character 
like  this  behind  his  back." 

"Well,  I  guess  we  won't  have  to  worry  about  his 
falling  from  grace  on  this  cruise,"  laughed  her 
father.  "We're  too  well  stocked  up  for  him  to  be 
driven  to  try  experiments." 

^"hen  they  vvent  up  on  deck,  the  moon  had  risen. 
Its  golden  light  tipped  the  waves  with  a  sheen  of 


134  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

glory  and  turned  the  spray  into  so  much  glittering 
diamond  dust.  Under  its  magic  witchery,  the  ropes 
and  rigging  looked  like  lace  work  woven  by  fairy 
fingers. 

The  crew  were  grouped  up  in  the  bow,  and  one 
of  them  was  playing  a  concertina.  Mr.  Rogers 
paced  the  deck,  casting  a  look  aloft  from  time  to 
time  to  see  that  the  sails  were  drawing  well.  The 
wind  had  a  slight  musical  sound  as  it  swept  through 
the  rigging,  and  this  blended  with  the  regular  slap- 
ping of  the  water  against  her  sides  as  the  Bertha 
Hamilton  sailed  steadily  on  her  course. 

The  air  was  the  least  bit  chilly,  and  this  gave 
Drew  an  excuse  for  tucking  Ruth  cozily  into  the 
chair  he  had  placed  in  a  sheltered  position  behind 
the  deckhouse.  His  fingers  trembled  as  he  drew 
the  rugs  and  shawls  around  her.  She  snuggled 
down,  wholly  content  to  be  waited  on  so  devotedly, 
and  perhaps — who  knows? — sharing  to  some  de- 
gree the  emotion  that  made  the  man's  pulse  race 
so  madly. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE    GREEN-EYED    MONSTER 

DREW  placed  his  own  chair  close  beside  Ruth's — 
as  close  as  he  dared.  And  they  talked. 

There  was  something  in  the  witchery  of  that 
moonlit  night  that  seemed  to  remove  certain  re- 
traints  and  reserves  imposed  by  the  cold  light  of 
day,  and  they  spoke  more  freely  of  their  lives  and 
hopes  and  ambitions  than  would  have  been  possible 
a  few  hours  earlier. 

The  girl  told  of  the  main  events  that  had  rilled 
her  nineteen  years  of  life.  Her  voice  was  tender 
when  she  spoke  of  her  mother,  whose  memory  re- 
mained with  her  as  a  benediction.  After  she  had 
been  deprived  by  death  of  this  gentle  presence,  she, 
Ruth,  had  stayed  with  relatives  in  Santa  Barbara 
and  Los  Angeles  during  her  vacations  and  had 
passed  the  rest  of  her  time  at  boarding  school.  She 
had  neither  sister  nor  brother,  and  she  spoke  feel- 
ingly of  this  lack,  which  had  become  more  poignant 
since  her  mother's  death.  She  had  felt  lonely  and 
restless,  and  the  bright  spots  in  her  life  had  been 
those  which  were  made  for  her  by  the  return  of  her 
father  from  his  voyages. 

Of  her  father  she  spoke  with  enthusiasm.  No- 
body could  have  been  more  thoughtful  of  her  com- 
fort and  happiness  than  he  had  been.  The  fact 

135 


136  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

that  they  were  all  that  were  left  of  their  family, 
had  made  them  the  more  dependent  for  their  happi- 
ness on  each  other,  and  the  affection  between  them 
was  very  strong. 

It  had  been  her  dearest  wish  that  he  should  be 
able  to  retire  from  the  sea  entirely,  so  that  she 
could  make  a  home  for  him  ashore.  As  far  as  means 
went,  she  supposed  he  was  able  to  give  up  his  voca- 
tion now  if  he  chose.  But  he  was  still  in  the  prime 
of  health  and  vigor,  and  she  had  little  doubt  that 
the  sea — that  jealous  mistress — would  beckon  to 
him  for  years  to  come. 

This  time  she  could  not  bear  being  left  behind, 
and  as  the  voyage  promised  to  be  a  short  one,  he 
had  yielded  to  her  persuasions  to  be  taken  along. 

Drew  listened  with  the  deepest  sympathy  and  in- 
terest, watching  the  play  of  emotion  that  accompa- 
nied her  words  and  made  her  mobile  features  even 
more  charming  than  usual. 

Encouraged  by  her  confidences,  he  in  turn  told 
her  of  his  experiences  and  ambitions.  He  could 
scarcely  remember  his  parents,  and  to  this  degree 
his  life  had  been  even  more  lonely  than  her  own. 
He  had  come  to  the  city  from  an  inland  town  in 
New  York  State  when  he  was  but  little  over  seven- 
teen, and  had  secured  a  position  in  the  chandlery 
shop.  He  had  worked  hard  and  had  gained  the 
confidence  and  good  will  of  his  employer,  of  whose 
goodness  of  heart  he  spoke  in  the  warmest  terms. 


The  Green-Eyed  Monster          137 

His  own  feeling  for  Tyke,  he  explained,  was  what 
he  imagined  he  would  have  felt  for  his  father  if  the 
latter  had  lived.  He  had  felt  that  he  was  pro- 
gressing, and  had  been  fairly  content  until  lately. 

But  now — and  his  voice  took  on  a  tone  that 
stirred  Ruth  as  she  listened — he  had  been  shaken 
entirely  out  of  that  contentment.  He  had  suddenly 
realized  that  life  held  more  than  he  had  ever 
dreamed.  There  was  something  new  and  rich  and 
vital  in  it,  something  full  of  promise  and  enchant- 
ment, something  that  he  must  have,  something  that 
he  would  give  his  soul  to  get. 

He  had  grown  so  earnest  as  he  talked,  so  com- 
pelling, his  eyes  so  glowed  with  fire  and  feeling, 
that  Ruth,  though  thrilled,  felt  almost  frightened 
at  his  intensity.  She  knew  perfectly  well  what  he 
meant,  knew  that  he  was  wooing  her  with  all  his 
heart  and  soul.  And  the  knowledge  was  sweet  to 
her. 

But  he  had  come  too  far  and  fast  in  his  wooing, 
and  she  was  not  yet  at  the  height  of  her  own  emo- 
tion. To  be  sure,  he  had  attracted  her  strongly 
from  the  very  first.  From  the  day  when  she  had 
met  him  on  the  pier,  she  had  thought  often  of  the 
gallant  young  knight  who  had  aided  her  in  her 
emergency,  and  his  delight  when  he  had  found  her 
on  her  father's  ship  had  been  only  a  shade  greater 
than  her  own. 

But,  although  her  heart  was  in  a  tumult  and  she 


138  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

secretly  welcomed  his  advances,  she  did  not  want 
to  be  carried  off  her  feet  by  the  sheer  ardor  of  his 
passion.  She  wanted  to  study  him,  to  know  him 
better,  and  to  know  her  own  feelings.  She  was 
not  to  be  won  too  easily  and  quickly.  An  obscure 
virginal  instinct  rather  resented  the  excessive  sure- 
ness  of  this  impetuous  suitor. 

So  she  roused  herself  from  the  soft  languor  into 
which  the  moonlight  and  his  burning  words  had 
plunged  her,  and  rallied,  jested  and  parried,  until, 
despite  his  efforts,  the  conversation  took  a  lighter 
tone. 

"You've  made  quite  an  impression  on  daddy," 
she  laughed.  "He  thinks  it  was  wonderfully  clever 
of  you  to  get  at  the  meaning  of  that  map  and  the 
confession  as  quickly  as  you  did." 

"I'm  glad  if  he  likes  me,"  Drew  answered.  "I 
may  have  to  ask  him  something  important  before 
long,  and  it  will  be  a  good  thing  to  stand  well  with 
him." 

"He'll  be  on  your  side,"  she  replied  lightly.  "I 
wouldn't  dare  tell  you  all  the  nice  things  he  has 
said  about  you.  It  might  make  you  conceited,  and 
goodness  knows " 

"Am  I  conceited?"  he  asked  quickly. 

"All  men  are,"  she  answered  evasively. 

"I  don't  think  I  am,"  lie  protested.  "As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  I'm  very  humble.  I  find  myself  won- 
dering all  the  time  if  I  am  worthy." 


The  Green-Eyed  Monster          189 

"Worthy  of  what?"  she  asked. 

"Worthy  of  getting  what  I  want,"  he  answered. 

"The  doubloons?"  she  asked  mischievously. 
"Dear  me!  I  can  hardly  imagine  you  in  a  humble 
role.  To  see  the  confident  Mr.  Drew  in  such  a 
mood  would  certainly  be  refreshing." 

"Don't  call  me  Mr.  Drew,"  he  protested.  "It 
sounds  so  formal.  We're  going  to  be  so  like  one 
big  family  on  this  ship  for  the  next  few  weeks  that 
it  seems  to  me  we  might  cut  out  some  of  the  for- 
mality without  hurting  anything." 

"What  shall  I  call  you  then?"  she  asked  de- 
murely. 

"There  are  lots  of  things  that  I  should  like  to 
have  you  call  me  if  I  dared  suggest  them,"  he  re- 
plied. "But  for  the  present,  suppose  you  call  me 
Allen." 

"Very  well,  then — Allen,"  she  conceded. 

His  pulses  leaped. 

"I  don't  suppose  I'd  dare  go  further  and  beg 
permission  to  call  you  Ruth?"  he  hazarded. 

"Make  it  Miss  Ruth,"  she  teased. 

"No,  Ruth,"  he  persisted. 

"Oh,  well,"  she  yielded,  "I  suppose  you'll  have 
to  have  it  your  own  way.  It's  frightful  to  have  to 
deal  with  such  an  obstinate  man  as  you  are,  Mr. — 
Allen." 

"It's  delightful  to  have  to  deal  with  such  a  charm- 
ing girl  as  you  are,  Miss — Ruth." 


140  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

They  laughed  happily. 

"It's  getting  late,"  she  said,  drawing  herself  up 
out  of  the  warm  nest  that  Drew  had  made  for  her, 
"and  I  think  I  really  ought  to  go  below." 

"Don't  go  yet,"  he  begged.     "It  isn't  a  bit  late." 

"How  late  is  it?"  she  asked. 

He  drew  out  his  watch  and  looked  at  it  in  the 
moonlight. 

"I  told  you  it  wasn't  late,"  he  declared,  putting 
the  watch  back  in  his  pocket. 

"You  don't  dare  let  me  look  at  it,"  she  laughed. 

"It  must  be  fast,"  he  affirmed. 

"You're  a  deceiver,"  she  retorted.  "Really  I 
must  go.  You  wouldn't  rob  me  of  my  beauty  sleep, 
would  you?" 

"Leave  that  to  other  girls,"  he  suggested.  "You 
don't  need  it." 

"You're  a  base  flatterer,"  she  chided. 

Drew  reluctantly  gathered  up  her  wraps,  and, 
with  a  last  lingering  look  at  the  glory  of  the  sea 
and  sky,  they  went  below. 

It  was  not  really  necessary  for  him  to  take  her 
hand  as  they  parted  for  the  night,  but  he  did  so. 

"Good  night,  Ruth,"  he  said  softly. 

"Good  night — Allen,"  she  answered  in  a  low 
voice. 

His  eyes  held  hers  for  a  moment,  and  then  she 
vanished. 

It  was  the  happiest  night  that  Drew  had  ever 


The  Green-Eyed  Monster  141 

known.  He  had  opened  his  heart  to  her — not  so 
far  as  he  would  have  liked  and  dared,  but  as  far 
as  she  had  permitted  him.  And  in  the  soft  beauty 
of  her  eyes  he  thought  that  he  had  detected  the 
beginnings  of  what  he  wanted  to  find  there.  And 
she  had  permitted  him  to  call  her  "Ruth."  And 
she  had  called  him  "Allen."  How  musical  the  name 
sounded,  coming  from  her  lips! 

It  was  fortunate  that  he  had  the  memory  of  that 
night  to  comfort  him  in  the  days  that  followed. 

Ruth  was  more  distracting  than  ever  the  next 
morning  when  she  appeared,  fresh  and  radiant,  at 
the  breakfast  table.  But  in  some  impalpable  way 
she  seemed  to  have  withdrawn  within  herself.  Per- 
haps she  felt  that  she  had  let  herself  go  too  far  in 
the  glamour  of  the  moonlight. 

She  was,  if  anything,  gayer  than  before,  full  of 
bright  quips  and  sayings  that  kept  them  laughing, 
but  she  distributed  her  favors  impartially  to  all. 
And  she  was  blandly  unresponsive  to  Drew's  efforts 
to  monopolize  her  attentions. 

It  was  so  all  through  that  day  and  the  next. 
There  was  nothing  about  her  that  was  stiff  or  re- 
pellant,  but,  nevertheless,  Drew  felt  that  she  was 
keeping  him  at  arm's  length.  It  was  as  though  she 
had  served  notice  that  she  would  be  a  jolly  comrade, 
but  nothing  more. 

Poor  Drew,  unused  to  the  ways  of  women,  could 
not  understand  her.  He  tried  again  and  again  to 


142  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

get  her  by  herself,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  regain 
the  ground  that  seemed  to  be  slipping  away  from 
under  him.  But  she  seemed  to  have  developed  a 
sudden  fondness  for  the  society  of  her  father  and 
Grimshaw,  and  she  managed  in  some  way  to  in- 
clude one  or  both  of  them  in  the  walks  and  chats 
that  Drew  sought  to  make  exclusive. 

Then,  too,  there  was  Parmalee. 

That  young  man  fully  recovered  from  his  sea- 
sickness after  the  third  day  out  and  resumed  his 
place  in  the  life  of  the  ship. 

Ruth  had  been  full  of  solicitude  and  attentions 
during  his  illness,  and  when  he  again  took  his  place 
at  table,  she  expressed  her  pleasure  with  a  warmth 
that  Drew  felt  was  unnecessary.  His  own  con- 
gratulations were  much  more  formal. 

Parmalee  seemed  to  feel  that  he  had  appeared 
somewhat  at  a  disadvantage  in  succumbing  to  the 
illness  which  the  others  had  escaped,  and  the  feeling 
put  him  on  his  mettle.  He  made  special  efforts  to 
be  genial  and  companionable,  and  his  conversation 
sparkled  with  jests  and  epigrams.  He  could  talk 
well;  and  even  Drew  had  to  admit  to  himself 
grudgingly  that  the  other  young  man  was  brilliant. 

Ruth,  always  fond  of  reading,  had  turned  to 
books  in  her  loneliness  after  her  mother's  death  and 
had  read  widely  for  a  girl  of  nineteen,  and  their 
familiarity  with  literature  made  a  common  ground 
on  which  she  and  Parmalee  could  meet  with  inter- 


The  Green-Eyed  Monster  143 

est.  He  had  brought  along  quite  a  number  of 
volumes  which  he  offered  to  lend  to  Ruth  and  to 
Drew. 

Ruth  thanked  him  prettily  and  accepted.  Drew 
thanked  him  cooly  and  declined. 

All  three  were  sitting  on  deck  one  afternoon, 
while  Tyke  and  the  captain  talked  earnestly  apart. 
Ruth's  dainty  fingers  were  busy  with  some  bit  of 
embroidery.  Her  eyes  were  bent  on  her  work,  but 
the  eyes  of  the  young  men  rested  on  her.  And  both 
were  thinking  that  the  object  of  their  gaze  was  well 
worth  looking  at. 

Ruth  herself  knew  perfectly  well  the  attraction 
she  exerted.  And  she  would  have  been  less  than 
human  if  she  had  not  been  pleased  with  it.  What 
girl  of  nineteen  would  not  enjoy  the  homage  of  a 
Viking  and  a  troubadour? 

She  was  not  a  coquette,  but  there  was  a  certain 
satisfaction  that  she  could  not  wholly  deny  herself 
in  playing  one  off  against  the  other.  It  would  do 
Drew  no  harm  to  make  him  a  little  less  sure  of  him- 
self and  of  her.  In  her  heart  she  liked  his  Lochin- 
var  methods,  while,  at  the  same  time,  she  rather 
resented  them.  She  was  no  cave  woman,  to  be 
dragged  off  at  will  by  a  determined  lover. 

She  had  a  real  liking  for  Parmalee.  He  was 
suave,  polished  and  deferential.  His  attentions 
gallant  without  being  obtrusive,  and  his  geniality 
and  culture  made  him  a  very  pleasant  companion. 


144  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

"We're  like  the  Argonauts  going  out  after  the 
Golden  Fleece,"  Parmalee  was  remarking. 

"Yes,"  Ruth  smiled,  looking  up  from  her  work, 
"it  doesn't  seem  as  though  this  were  the  twentieth 
century  at  all.  Here  we  are,  as  much  adventurers 
as  they  were  in  the  old  times  of  Jason  and  his 
companions." 

"Let's  hope  we'll  be  as  lucky  as  they  were/'  said 
Drew.  "If  I  remember  rightly,  they  got  what  they 
went  after." 

"And  yet  when  they  started  out  they  weren't  a 
bit  more  sure  than  we  are,"  rejoined  Parmalee. 

"And  we  won't  find  any  old  dragon  waiting  to 
swallow  us,  as  they  did,"  laughed  Ruth. 

"Well,  whether  we  find  the  treasure  or  not,  we'll 
have  plenty  of  fun  in  hunting  for  it,"  prophesied 
Parmalee.  "Somehow,  I  feel  that  we  are  on  the 
brink  of  a  great  adventure.  I  think  I  know  some- 
thing of  the  feeling  of  the  old  explorers  when  they 
first  came  down  to  these  parts.  Do  you  remember 
the  way  Keats  describes  it,  Miss  Ruth?" 

"I  don't  recall,"  answered  Ruth. 

"I'll  go  and  get  the  book.  I  have  it  in  my  cabin. 
Or  wait.  Perhaps  I  can  remember  the  way  it  goes." 
He  paused  a  moment,  and  then  began  : 

"Then  feel  I  like  some  watcher  of  the  skies 

When  a  new  planet  swims  into  his  ken ; 
Or  like  stout  Cortez  when  with  eagle  eyes 


The  Green-Eyed  Monster          145 

He  stared  at  the  Pacific — and  all  his  men 
Looked  at  each  other  with  a  wild  surmise — 
Silent,  upon  a  peak  in  Darien." 

"What  noble  verse!"  exclaimed  Ruth. 

Drew  remained  silent. 

"The  very  air  of  these  southern  seas  is  full  of 
romance,"  went  on  Parmalee.  "And  of  tradition 
too.  Have  you  ever  heard  the  story  of  Drake's 
drum?" 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Ruth. 

"The  old  drum  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  that  called 
his  men  to  battle  is  still  preserved  in  the  family 
castle  in  England,"  explained  Parmalee.  "It  went 
with  him  on  all  his  voyages.  It  beat  the  men  to 
quarters  in  the  fight  with  the  Spanish  Armada  and 
in  all  his  battles  on  the  Spanish  Main,  when,  to  use 
his  own  words,  he  was  'singeing  the  whiskers  of  the 
King  of  Spain/  He  was  buried  at  sea  in  the  West 
Indies,  and  the  drum  beat  taps  when  his  body  was 
lowered  into  the  waves. 

"The  story  goes  that  when  Drake  was  dying  he 
ordered  that  the  drum  should  be  sent  back  to  Eng- 
land. Whenever  the  country  should  be  in  mortal 
danger,  his  countrymen  were  to  beat  that  drum,  and 
Drake's  spirit  would  come  back  and  lead  them  to 
victory." 

"And  have  they  ever  done  it?"  asked  Ruth,  in- 
tensely interested. 


146  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Twice/'  replied  Parmalee.  "Once  when  the 
Dutch  fleet  entered  the  Thames  with  a  broom  at  the 
masthead  to  show  that  they  were  going  to  sweep 
the  British  from  the  seas.  They  beat  it  again 
when  Nelson  broke  the  sea  power  of  Napoleon  at 
Trafalgar. 

"Here's  what  an  English  writer  supposes  Drake 
to  have  said  when  he  was  dying: 

'Take  my  drum  to  England,  hang  it  by  the  shore, 
Strike  it  when  your  powder's  running  low ; 
If  the  Dons  sight  Devon,  I'll  quit  the  port  of  heaven 
And  drum  them  up  the  Channel,  as  we  drummed 
them  long  ago.' ' 

"How  stirring  that  is!"  cried  Ruth,  clapping  her 
hands. 

"Yes,"  admitted  Drew,  a  little  dryly.  "They 
must  have  forgotten  to  beat  it  though  at  the  time 
of  the  American  Revolution." 

It  was  a  discordant  note  and  all  felt  it. 

"Oh,  how  horrid  of  you!"  exclaimed  Ruth. 
"You  take  all  the  romance  out  of  the  story." 

"I'm  sorry,"  said  Drew,  instantly  penitent. 

"I  don't  believe  you  are  a  bit,"  declared  Ruth. 
"And  Mr.  Parmalee  told  that  story  so  beautifully," 
she  added,  with  a  wicked  little  desire  to  punish 
Drew. 

"Cross   my  heart  and   hope   to   die,"   protested 


The  Green-Eyed  Monster  147 

Drew,  to  appease  his  divinity.  "Put  any  penance 
on  me  you  like.  I'll  sit  in  sackcloth  and  put  ashes 
on  my  head  if  you  say  so,  and  you'll  never  hear  a 
whimper." 

"He  seems  to  be  suffering  horribly,"  said  Par- 
malee,  a  bit  sarcastically,  "and  you  know,  Miss 
Ruth,  that  cruel  and  unusual  punishments  are  for- 
bidden by  the  Constitution.  I  think  you'd  better 
forgive  him." 

Ruth  laughed  and  the  tension  was  broken.  But 
there  was  still  a  little  feeling  of  restraint,  and  after 
a  few  minutes  Parmalee  excused  himself  and 
strolled  away. 

Ruth  kept  on  stitching  busily,  her  face  bent 
studiously  over  her  work. 

Drew  looked  at  her  miserably,  bitterly  regretting 
the  momentary  impulse  to  which  he  had  yielded. 
He  knew  in  his  heart  that  he  had  been  jealous  of 
the  impression  that  Parmalee,  by  his  easy  and  grace- 
ful narration,  had  seemed  to  be  making  on  Ruth, 
and  he  hated  himself  for  it. 

"Ruth,"  he  said  softly. 

She  seemed  not  to  have  heard  him. 

"Ruth,"  he  repeated. 

"Yes?"  she  answered,  but  without  looking  up. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

GATHERING    CLOUDS 

"RUTH,"  Drew  pleaded.    "Look  at  me." 

She  dropped  her  work  then  and  met  his  eyes. 

"You're  angry  with  me,  aren't  you?"  he  asked. 

"No ;  I'm  not  angry,"  she  replied  slowly. 

"But  you're  vexed?"  he  suggested. 

"I  should  say  rather  that  I  am  sorry,"  she  an- 
swered. "Everything  has  been  so  pleasant  between 
us  all  up  to  now,  and  I  hoped  it  was  going  to  remain 
so." 

"It  was  that  impulsive  tongue  of  mine,"  he  said. 
"The  words  slipped  out  before  I  thought." 

"What  you  said  was  nothing,"  she  replied.  "But 
the  tone  in  which  you  spoke  was  unpleasant.  It 
seemed  as  though  you  were  trying  to  put  a  damper 
on  things.  It  came  like  a  dash  of  cold  water,  and 
I'm  sure  that  Mr.  Parmalee  felt  chilled  by  it." 

"You  seem  very  much  interested  in  Mr.  Par- 
malee's  feelings,"  he  said,  with  a  return  of  jealousy 
at  the  mention  of  the  other's  name. 

"No  more  than  I  am  in  those  of  any  of  my 
friends,"  she  answered.  "I  think  he  is  very  nice, 
and  I  was  very  much  interested  in  what  he  was 
saying,"  she  added,  with  a  tiny  touch  of  malice. 

But  she  repented  instantly  as  she  saw  the  pain 
in  Drew's  eyes. 

148 


Gathering  Clouds  149 

"Let's  forget  all  about  it!"  she  exclaimed.  "It 
was  only  a  trifle,  anyway." 

"You  forgive  me  then?"  he  asked. 

"Of  course  I  forgive  you,  you  foolish  boy!  And 
to  prove  it,  I'm  not  going  to  make  you  do  any 
penance,"  she  added  gaily. 

From  that  time,  a  smile  from  Ruth  raised  Drew 
to  the  seventh  heaven,  but  when  her  smile  was  be- 
stowed on  Parmalee,  he  was  dashed  to  the  depths. 

One  thing  especially  was  calculated  to  torture 
the  jealous  heart  of  a  lover.  Several  times  Drew 
observed  Ruth  and  Parmalee  engaged  in  what 
seemed  to  be  a  peculiarly  confidential  talk.  Their 
heads  were  close  together  and  their  voices  low. 
They  seemed  to  be  talking  of  something  that  con- 
cerned themselves  alone. 

The  first  time  he  saw  them  together  in  this  way, 
he  strolled  up  to  them,  but  they  changed  instantly 
to  a  lighter  and  more  careless  tone,  and  introduced 
a  topic  in  which  he  could  join.  But  Ruth's  face 
was  flushed  and  Parmalee  was  scarcely  able  to 
disguise  his  impatience  at  the  interruption. 

After  the  first  time,  Drew  left  them  alone.  His 
pride  refused  to  let  him  be  a  third  in  a  conversation 
plainly  designed  for  two. 

In  his  secret  musings  Allen  Drew  dwelt  on  and 
exaggerated  the  advantages  which  Parmalee  pos- 
sessed. To  be  sure,  he  was  weak  and  delicate,  while 
Drew  had  the  strength  of  a  young  ox.  But  Par- 


150  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

malee  had  wealth  and  standing  and  a  polished 
manner  that  appealed  strongly  to  women.  Why 
should  he  not,  with  his  suavity  and  winning  smile, 
fascinate  an  impressionable  girl? 

Ruth  herself,  warned  by  the  chilliness  between 
the  men  that  grew  more  pronounced  with  every 
day  that  passed,  did  her  best  to  be  prudent.  The 
mischievous  pleasure  of  having  them  both  dangle 
when  she  pulled  the  strings  had  been  replaced  by  a 
feeling  almost  of  alarm.  She  realized  enough  of 
the  fervor  of  Drew's  passion  to  know  that  he  was 
in  deadly  earnest  and  would  brook  no  rivalry. 

Tyke  had  been  enjoying  himself  hugely  from  the 
start.  He  had  utterly  cast  aside  all  thoughts  of  the 
business  he  had  left  behind  him,  and  when  Drew 
sometimes  referred  to  it  he  refused  to  listen.  The 
sea  air  and  the  delight  of  being  once  more  in  the 
surroundings  of  his  early  days  had  proved  a  tonic. 
His  leg  mended  with  magical  rapidity,  and  by  the 
time  they  had  been  ten  days  at  sea  he  cast  aside 
his  crutches  and  managed  to  get  about  with  the  aid 
of  a  cane.  Almost  every  moment  of  the  day  and 
evening  when  he  was  not  at  meals,  he  spent  on  deck, 
exchanging  yarns  with  Captain  Hamilton,  studying 
the  set  of  the  sails,  or  gazing  on  the  boundless 
expanse  of  sea  and  sky. 

The  weather  so  far  had  been  perfect,  and  the 
schooner  had  slipped  along  steadily  and  rapidly, 
most  of  the  time  carrying  her  full  complement  of 


Gathering  Clouds  151 

canvas.  The  captain  thought  that  in  about  two  or 
three  days  more  they  would  be  in  the  vicinity  of 
Martinique.  Once  there,  to  the  westward  of  that 
island,  they  would  cruise  about  until  the  cay  shaped 
like  the  hump  of  a  whale  should  appear  on  the 
horizon. 

But  despite  the  good  weather,  there  had  been  for 
some  time  past  a  shadow  on  the  face  of  the  captain 
which  betrayed  uneasiness.  The  young  people, 
absorbed  in  their  own  affairs,  had  not  noticed  it, 
but  Tyke's  shrewd  eyes  had  seen  that  all  was  not 
well,  and  one  day  when  the  captain  dropped  into  a 
chair  beside  him,  he  broached  the  subject  without 
ceremony. 

"What's  troubling  you,  Cap'n  Rufe?"  he  asked. 
"Out  with  it  and  git  it  off  your  chest." 

"Oh,  nothing  special,"  replied  the  captain 
evasively. 

"Yes  there  is,"  retorted  Tyke.  "You  can't  fool 
me.  So  let's  have  it.'' 

"Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth,"  said  Captain  Hamil- 
ton, "I  don't  quite  like  the  actions  of  the  crew." 

"No  more  do  I,"  said  Tyke  calmly. 

"Have  you  noticed  it  too?" 

"I've  still  got  a  pair  of  pretty  good  eyes  in  my 
head.  But  heave  ahead." 

"Well,  in  the  first  place,"  said  the  captain,  "it's 
about  the  worst  set  of  swabs  that  ever  called  them- 
selves sailors.  Some  of  'em  don't  seem  to  know 


152  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

the  spanker  boom  from  the  jib.  Of  course,  that 
isn't  true  of  all  of  'em.  Perhaps  half  of  them  are 
fairly  good  men.  But  the  rest  seem  to  be  scum 
and  riffraff." 

"What  did  you  ship  the  lubbers  for?"  asked 
Grimshaw. 

"I  didn't,"  answered  Captain  Hamilton.  "I  was 
so  busy  with  other  things  that  I  left  it  to  Ditty." 

"An'  there  you  left  it  to  a  good  man !"  Tyke  said 
scornfully.  "I've  been  keeping  tabs  on  that  Bug- 
eye, as  they  call  him,  since  I  come  aboard.  He's  a 

bad  actor,  he  is.  Listen  here,  Cap'n  Rufe " 

and  the  old  man,  with  a  warning  hand  on  Captain 
Hamilton's  knee  and  in  a  low  voice,  repeated  what 
he  had  told  Drew  in  the  hospital  about  the  one-eyed 
man  being  at  the  scene  of  his  accident. 

"And  was  it  Ditty?"  gasped  Captain  Hamilton. 

"Surest  thing  you  know.  An'  I  don't  believe  I 
dreamed  he  went  through  my  pockets.  What  was 
that  for,  when  he  didn't  rob  me  of  my  watch  and 
cash?" 

The  master  of  the  schooner  shook  his  head 
thoughtfully,  making  no  immediate  reply. 

"Ditty's  a  pretty  good  sailor  himself,  I  notice," 
went  on  Tyke. 

"None  better,"  assented  the  captain. 

"An'  he  knows  a  sailor  when  he  sees  one?"  con- 
tinued the  old  man. 

"Of  course  he  does,"  the  captain  affirmed.    "And 


Gathering  Clouds  153 

that's  what  has  seemed  strange  to  me.  He's  often 
picked  crews  for  me  before,  and  I've  never  had  to 
complain  of  his  judgment." 

"Well  then,"  concluded  Tyke,  "it  stands  to  rea- 
son that  if  he's  shipped  a  lot  of  raffraff  this  time, 
instead  of  decent  sailors,  he'd  a  reason  for  it." 

''It  would  seem  so,"  admitted  the  captain  un- 
easily. 

"Have  you  put  it  up  to  him?''  asked  Tyke. 

"I  have.  And  he  admits  that  some  of  the  men 
are  no  good,  but  says  that  he  was  stuck.  He  left 
it  to  some  boarding-house  runners,  and  he  says  they 
put  one  over  on  him  by  bundling  the  worst  of  the 
gang  aboard  at  the  last  minute." 

"A  mighty  thin  excuse,"  commented  Tyke. 

"Of  course  it  is;  and  I  raked  Ditty  fore  and  aft 
on  account  of  it.  I'm  through  with  him  after  this 
cruise.  I've  only  kept  him  on  as  long  as  I  have 
because  Mr.  Parmalee  wanted  it  so.  But  he  finds 
another  berth  as  soon  as  we  reach  New  York." 

"I've  noticed  him  talking  to  some  of  the  men  a 
good  deal,"  remarked  Tyke. 

"That's  another  thing  that's  worried  me,"  said 
the  captain.  "Up  to  now,  Ditty  has  always  been 
a  good  bucko  mate  and  has  kept  the  men  at  a  dis- 
tance. Did  you  see  the  man  I  knocked  down  the 
other  day  when  he  started  to  give  me  some  back 
talk?" 

"Yes,"  grinned  Tyke.     "You  made  a  neat  job  of 


154  Doubloons  —  and  The  Girl 

it.  Couldn't  have  done  it  better  myself  in  the  old 
days." 

"But  the  peculiar  thing  about  it,"  continued  the 
captain,  "was  that  I  had  to  do  it  although  the  mate 
was  a  good  deal  nearer  to  the  fellow  than  I  was. 
Ordinarily,  Ditty  would  have  put  him  on  his  back 
by  the  time  he'd  got  out  the  second  word.  But  this 
time  he  had  paid  no  attention,  and  I  had  to  do  the 
job  myself." 

"Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it  all?" 

"I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  it,  and  that's  just 
what's  troubling  me.  If  I  could  only  get  to  the 
bottom  of  it,  I'd  make  short  work  of  the  mystery.'' 

"How's  your  second  officer,  Rogers?  Is  he  a 
man  you  can  depend  on?" 

"He's  true  blue.  A  fine,  straight  fellow  and  a 
good  sailor." 

"That's  good." 

"I  wish  he  were  mate  in  place  of  Ditty,"  mut- 
tered the  captain. 

"Well,  he  ain't,"  replied  Tyke.  "An'  to  make 
any  change  jest  now  with  nothing  more'n  you've 
got  to  go  on,  would  put  you  in  bad  with  the  marine 
court.  We'll  jest  keep  our  eyes  peeled  for  the  first 
sign  of  real  trouble,  and'  if  them  skunks  start  to 
make  any  we'll  be  ready  for  'em." 

"I  wonder  what  the  matter  is  with  Drew  and 
Parmalee  over  there!"  exclaimed  the  captain 
suddenly.  "More  trouble?" 


Gathering  Clouds  155 

Tyke  followed  the  direction  the  captain  indicated 
and  was  astonished  to  see  that  the  young  men 
seemed  to  be  on  the  verge  of  an  altercation.  Their 
faces  were  flushed  and  their  attitude  almost 
threatening. 

The  captain  hurried  toward  them,  and  Tyke  hob- 
bled after  him  as  fast  as  he  was  able. 

The  tension  between  Parmalee  and  Drew  had 
been  slowly  but  steadily  tightening.  Little  things, 
trifles  in  themselves,  had  increased  it  until  they 
found  it  hard  to  be  civil  to  each  other.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  Ruth  and  the  two  older  men,  they  sup- 
pressed this  feeling  as  much  as  possible ;  and  except 
by  Ruth  it  had  been  unsuspected. 

The  purest  accident  that  afternoon  had  brought 
the  matter  to  a  crisis. 

Ruth  was  detained  below  by  some  duty  she  had 
on  hand,  and  Drew  was  pacing  the  deck  while 
Parmalee,  leaning  on  his  cane,  was  standing  near 
the  rail  looking  out  to  sea. 

As  Drew  passed  the  other,  the  ship  lurched  and 
his  foot  accidentally  struck  the  cane,  which  flew 
out  of  Parmalee' s  hand.  Deprived  of  the  support 
on  which  he  relied,  the  latter  staggered  and  almost 
lost  his  balance.  He  saved  himself  by  clutching 
at  the  rail.  Then  he  turned  about  with  an  angry 
exclamation. 

Drew  stooped  instantly  and  picked  up  the  cane, 
which  he  held  out  to  Parmalee. 


156  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"I'm  sorry,"  he  said.  "It  was  an  awkward 
accident." 

"Awkward,  sure  enough,"  sneered  Parmalee. 

"As  to  it's  being  an  accident "  He  paused 

suggestively. 

Drew  stepped  nearer  to  him,  his  eyes  blazing. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  asked.  "Do  you  inti- 
mate that  I  did  it  purposely?" 

Parmalee  regretted  the  ungenerous  sneer  as  soon 
as  he  spoke.  But  his  blood  was  up,  and  before 
Drew's  menacing  attitude  he  would  not  retract. 

"You  can  put  any  construction  on  it  that  you 
please,"  he  flared. 

Just  then  Tyke  and  the  captain  came  hurrying  up. 

"Come,  come,  boys,"  said  the  captain  soothingly, 
"keep  cool." 

"What's  the  trouble  with  you  two  young  roost- 
ers?" queried  Tyke. 

They  looked  a  little  sheepish. 

"Just  a  little  misundersanding,"  muttered  Drew. 

"I  fear  it  was  my  fault,"  admitted  Parmalee. 
"Mr.  Drew  accidentally  knocked  my  cane  out  of  my 
hand,  and  I  flew  off  at  a  tangent  and  was  nasty 
about  it  when  he  apologized." 

"Nothing  mor'n  that?"  said  Tyke,  with  relief. 
"You  young  fire-eaters  shouldn't  have  such  hair- 
trigger  tempers." 

"Shake  hands  now  and  forget  it,"  admonished 
the  captain  genially. 


Gathering  Clouds  157 

The  young  men  did  so,  both  being  ashamed  of 
having  lost  control  of  themselves.  But  there  was 
no  cordiality  in  the  clasp,  and  Tyke's  keen  sense 
divined  that  something  more  serious  than  a  trivial 
happening  like  the  cane  incident  lay  between  the 
two. 

Tyke  had  never  seen  the  French  motto:  "Cher- 
ches  la  femme,"  and  could  not  have  translated  it  if 
he  had.  But  he  had  seen  enough  of  trouble  between 
men,  especially  young  men,  to  know  that  in  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  a  woman  was  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
He  thought  instantly  of  Ruth. 

He  decided  to  have  a  serious  talk  with  Drew  at 
the  earliest  opportunity.  But  as  he  looked  about, 
after  the  young  men  had  departed,  he  saw  signs  of 
a  change  in  the  weather  that  in  a  moment  drove  all 
other  thoughts  out  of  his  head.  He  limped  into  the 
cabin  companionway  to  look  at  the  barometer. 

"Jumping  Jehoshaphat !"  he  shouted,  "we're  go- 
ing to  ketch  it  sure !  She's  down  to  twenty-nine  an' 
still  a-dropping!" 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE    STORM    BREAKS 

TYKE  was  not  the  only  one  who  had  noted  the 
falling  barometer.  Captain  Hamilton  was  already 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  mainmast,  shouting  or- 
ders that  were  taken  up  by  Ditty  and  Rogers  and 
carried  on  to  the  men. 

To  the  north,  great  masses  of  leaden-gray  clouds 
were  heaped  up  against  the  sky.  The  sea  was  as 
flat  as  though  a  giant  roller  had  passed  over  it.  A 
curious  stillness  prevailed — the  wind  seemed  hushed, 
holding  its  breath  before  the  tempest  burst. 

The  hatches  were  battened  down  and  the  storm 
slides  put  on  the  companionway.  Most  of  the  sails 
were  reefed  close,  and  with  everything  snug  alow 
and  aloft,  the  Bertha  Hamilton  awaited  the  coming 
storm. 

This  wait  was  not  long.  A  streak  of  white 
appeared  along  the  sea  line,  and  this  drove  nearer 
with  frightful  rapidity.  With  a  pandemonium  of 
sound,  the  tempest  was  upon  them.  The  spars  bent, 
groaning  beneath  the  strain,  and  the  stays  grew  as 
taut  as  bowstrings.  The  schooner  careened  until 
her  copper  sheathing  showed  red  against  the  green 
and  white  of  the  foaming  waves. 

158 


The  Storm  Breaks  159 

The  screaming  of  the  wind  was  deafening.  Hun- 
dreds of  tons  of  water  crashed  against  the  schoon- 
er's sides  and  poured  over  her  stern.  The  sea 
clawed  at  her  hull  as  though  to  tear  it  in  pieces. 
Tatters  of  foam  and  spindrift  swept  over  the  deck 
and  dashed  as  high  as  the  topgallant  yards.  The 
spray  was  blinding  and  hid  one  end  of  the  craft 
from  the  other. 

Staggering  under  the  repeated  pounding  of  the 
tumbling,  churning  waves  that  shook  her  from 
stem  to  stern,  the  Bertha  Hamilton  plunged  on,  her 
bow  at  times  buried  in  the  surges,  her  spars  creak- 
ing and  groaning,  but  holding  gallantly. 

Ruth  had  been  ordered  by  her  father  to  go  below, 
and  he  had  advised  Parmalee  and  Drew  to  do  the 
same.  But  the  fascination  of  the  storm  had  been 
too  much  for  the  young  men  to  resist,  and  they 
crouched  in  the  shelter  of  the  lee  side  of  the  deck- 
house, holding  on  tightly  while  they  watched  the 
unchained  fury  of  the  waters.  As  for  Tyke,  he  was 
in  his  element,  and  nothing  could  have  induced  him 
to  leave  the  deck. 

For  nearly  twenty-four  hours  the  storm  con- 
tinued, although  its  chief  fury  was  spent  before  the 
following  morning.  But  the  billows  still  ran  high, 
and  it  was  evening  before  the  topsails  could  be  set. 
Later  on,  as  the  wind  subsided,  the  schooner,  hav- 
ing shown  her  mettle,  settled  once  more  into  her 
stride  and  flew  along  like  a  ghost. 


160  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl  ^ 

Then,  for  the  first  time  since  the  storm  had  begun, 
the  captain  laid  aside  his  oil-skins  and  relaxed. 

"That  was  a  fierce  blow,"  chuckled  Tyke.  "A 
little  more  and  you  might  have  called  it  a  hurri- 
cane." 

"It  was  a  teaser,"  asserted  the  captain.  "Did  you 
see  how  the  old  girl  came  through  it?  Never  lost 
a  brace  or  started  a  seam.  Hardly  a  drop  of  water 
in  the  hold.  Didn't  I  tell  you  she  was  a  sweet 
sailer,  either  in  fair  weather  or  foul?  But  the 
crew!  Holy  mackerel!  what  a  gang  of  lubbers." 

"You're  right  to  be  proud  of  the  craft,"  assented 
Tyke.  "Has  it  taken  her  much  out  of  her  course?" 

"A  bit  to  the  north,  but  nothing  more.  For  that 
matter,  we've  passed  Martinique.  I  figure  it  out 
that  we  may  raise  the  hump-backed  island  to- 
morrow, if  we  have  luck." 

A  feeling  of  relief  was  experienced  by  the  rest 
of  the  after-guard  when  at  last  the  danger  was  past, 
and  it  was  a  happy,  if  tired,  party  that  gathered 
about  the  captain's  table  that  evening. 

Supper  over,  they  went  on  deck.  The  tropical 
night  had  fallen.  There  was  no  moon,  and  a  vel- 
vety blackness  stretched  about  the  ship  on  every 
side,  broken  here  and  there  by  a  faint  phosphores- 
cent gleam  as  a  wave  reared  and  broke. 

The  schooner  still  rose  and  plunged  from  the 
aftermath  of  the  storm,  and  the  slipperiness  of  the 
wet  decks  made  the  footing  insecure.  The  captain 


The  Storm  Breaks  161 

was  fearful  that  Ruth  might  have  a  fall,  and  after 
a  while  urged  her  to  go  below.  Drew  and  Par- 
malee  offered  to  accompany  her,  but  she  was  very 
tired  after  the  excitement  and  sleeplessness  of  the 
previous  night,  and  excused  herself  on  the  plea  that 
she  thought  she  would  retire  early. 

Drew  and  Parmalee  were  standing  near  each 
other  just  abaft  the  mizzenmast,  while  Tyke  and 
the  captain  were  aft,  talking  in  low  voices. 

An  unusually  big  wave  struck  the  schooner  a 
resounding  slap  on  the  starboard  quarter,  causing 
her  to  lurch  suddenly.  Drew  was  thrown  off  his 
balance.  He  tried  to  regain  his  footing,  but  the 
slippery  deck  was  treacherous  and  he  fell  heavily, 
striking  his  head  on  the  corner  of  the  hatch  cover. 

How  long  he  lay  there  he  did  not  know,  but  it 
must  have  been  for  several  minutes,  for  when  he 
recovered  consciousness  his  clothes  were  wet  where 
they  had  absorbed  the  moisture  from  the  deck.  His 
head  was  whirling,  and  he  felt  giddy  and  confused. 
He  put  his  hand  to  his  forehead  and  felt  a  cut  that 
was  bleeding  profusely. 

Drew  had  a  horror  of  scenes,  and  instead  of 
reporting  to  Tyke  or  to  the  captain,  he  resolved  to 
go  quietly  to  his  room,  bind  up  the  wound  as  well 
as  he  was  able,  and  then  get  into  his  berth  with 
the  hope  that  a  good  night's  rest  would  put  him  in 
good  shape  again. 

He  wondered  in  a  dazed  way  where  Parmalee 


162  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

was.  Why  had  not  the  other  young  man  sought 
to  help  him?  He  had  been  standing  close  by  at 
the  time  and  could  not  have  failed  to  notice  the 
accident.  Was  it  possible  that  Parmalee  still  nour- 
ished a  grudge,  and  had  refused  the  slight  service 
that  humanity  should  have  dictated?  No,  Parma- 
lee  was  not  that  kind.  There  was  no  love  lost 
between  the  two,  but  Drew  refused  to  do  him  that 
injustice. 

But  Drew's  wound  demanded  attention,  and  he 
was  too  confused  just  then  to  solve  problems  that 
could  wait  till  later.  So  he  picked  his  way  rather 
unsteadily  to  the  companionway  and  went  down. 

He  had  to  pass  the  captain's  cabin  on  his  way  to 
his  own  room.  As  he  did  so,  the  light  streamed  full 
upon  him,  and  Ruth,  who  had  not  yet  gone  to  her 
own  room,  looked  up  from  her  sewing  and  saw 
him.  She  gave  a  little  scream  and  rushed  toward 
him. 

"Oh,  Allen,  Allen!"  she  cried,  taking  his  face  in 
her  hands.  "What  has  happened?  Your  head  is 
bleeding!  Are  you  badly  hurt?" 

"Don't  be  frightened,  Ruth,"  he  returned.  "I 
was  stupid  enough  to  fall  and  cut  my  head  a  little. 
Bu  it's  nothing  of  any  account.  I'll  bind  it  up  and 
I'll  be  as  right  as  a  trivet  in  the  morning." 

"You'll  bind  it  up !"  she  exclaimed.  "You'll  do 
nothing  of  the  kind.  You'll  come  right  in  here  and 
let  me  fix  that  poor  head  for  you." 


The  Storm  Breaks  163 

She  drew  him  in  and  he  went  unresistingly,  glad 
to  yield  to  her  gentle  tyranny. 

Ruth  found  warm  water,  ointment,  lint  and  ban- 
dages, and  deftly  bound  up  the  wound.  She  was  a 
sailor's  daughter,  and  an  adept  in  first  aid  to  the 
wounded.  Her  soft  hands  touched  his  face  and 
head,  her  eyes  were  dewy  writh  sympathy,  and  Drew 
found  himself  rejoicing  at  the  accident  that  had 
brought  him  this  boon.  She  had  never  been  so  close 
to  him  before,  and  he  was  sorry  when  the  operation 
was  ended. 

"Through  so  soon?"  he  asked  regretfully. 

She  laughed  merrily.    She  could  laugh  now. 

''I  can  take  the  bandage  off  and  start  all  over 
again  if  you  say  so,"  she  said  mischievously. 

"Do,"  he  begged. 

"Be  sensible,"  she  commanded.  "Go  at  once  now 
and  get  to  bed.  Remember,  you're  my  patient  and 
must  obey  orders." 

She  shook  her  finger  at  him  and  tried  to  frown 
with  portentous  severity.  But  the  dancing  eyes  and 
mutinous  dimple  belied  the  frown. 

"If  you're  my  nurse,"  I'm  going  to  be  sick  for 
a  long  time,"  he  warned  her. 

He  tried  to  grasp  the  menacing  finger,  but  she 
eluded  him  and  playfully  drove  him  out  of  the 
room. 

The  sun  was  shining  brightly  through  the  port- 
hole of  his  room  when  he  awoke  the  next  morning, 


164  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

and  on  reaching  for  his  watch  he  found  that  he  had 
waked  later  than  usual.  He  dressed  himself  quickly. 
He  felt  a  little  light-headed  from  the  effect  of  his 
wound,  but  nothing  more. 

There  was  an  exclamation  of  alarm  from  Tyke 
and  the  captain  when  they  saw  his  bandaged  head. 

"Only  a  cut/'  said  Allen  lightly.  And  he  briefly 
narrated  the  details  of  his  misadventure. 

"Lucky  it  was  no  worse,"  commented  Tyke. 

"Wasn't  there  any  one  near  by  at  that  time?" 
asked  the  captain. 

"Why "  began  Drew,  and  stopped.  To  say 

that  Parmalee  had  been  near  him  would  have  been 
an  indictment  of  the  former  for  his  seeming  heart- 
lessness.  He  did  not  want  to  take  advantage  of  his 
absent  rival. 

"If  there  had  been,  he'd  have  certainly  picked 
me  up,"  he  evaded,  rather  lamely. 

Ruth  greeted  him  in  her  usual  gay  and  gracious 
manner,  but  he  sought  in  vain  for  any  trace  of  the 
tenderness  of  the  night  before.  She  was  on  her 
guard  again. 

"How  is  my  patient  this  morning?"  she  smiled. 

"Fine,"  he  answered.  "If  you  ever  want  any 
recommendation  as  a  nurse  you  can  refer  to  me. 
Only  I  wouldn't  give  it,"  he  added. 

"Why  not  ?"  she  asked. 

"Because  I  want  to  be  your  only  patient." 

She  hastened  to  get  off  perilous  ground. 


The  Storm  Breaks  165 

"I  wonder  what's  keeping  Mr.  Parmalee  this 
morning/'  she  observed.  "He's  even  more  of  a 
sleepy  head  than  you  are." 

"Tired  out,  I  guess,"  conjectured  the  captain. 
"This  storm  has  used  us  all  up  pretty  well." 

Ruth  summoned  Namco  and  told  him  to  knock 
on  Mr.  Parmalee's  door.  The  Japanese  was  back 
in  a  minute. 

"Honorable  gent  no  ansler."  he  reported. 

"That's  queer,"  remarked  the  captain.  "I'll  step 
there  myself." 

He  returned  promptly,  looking  very  grave.  "He 
isn't  there,"  he  announced. 

"Perhaps  he's  gone  on  deck  to  get  an  appetite  for 
breakfast,"  suggested  Drew  lightly. 

"It's  not  alone  that  he's  absent,"  said  the  captain 
in  a  worried  tone.  "His  bed  hasn't  been  slept  in!" 

There  was  a  chorus  of  startled  exclamations. 
Drew  and  Tyke  jumped  to  their  feet  and  Ruth  lost 
her  color. 

"Oh,  Daddy!"  she  cried,  "it  can't  be  that  any- 
thing's  happened  to  him?" 

"Don't  get  excited,  Ruth,"  said  her  father  sooth- 
ingly. "There  may  be  some  explanation.  I'll  have 
the  ship  searched  at  once." 

They  all  hurried  on  deck,  and  the  captain  sum- 
moned the  mate  and  Mr.  Rogers.  He  told  them 
what  he  feared  and  ordered  that  the  ship  be 
searched  thoroughly. 


166  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Rogers  turned  to  obey,  but  the  one-eyed  mate,  Cal 
Ditty,  stopped  him  with  a  gesture. 

"No  use,"  he  said.     "Mr.  Parmalee  ain't  here.'' 

"How  do  you  know?"  cried  the  captain. 

"Because  he  was  thrown  overboard  last  night," 
was  the  sudden  grim  answer. 

Ruth  gave  a  smothered  shriek  and  the  others 
gasped  in  amazement  and  horror. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  shouted  the  captain. 

"Just  what  I  said." 

"Who  threw  him  overboard?" 

"He  did,"  declared  Ditty,  pointing  to  Drew. 

There  was  a  moment  of  terrible  silence  as  the 
others  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  mate's  pointing 
finger. 

Drew  stood  as  though  he  were  turned  to  stone. 
His  tongue  was  paralyzed.  He  saw  consternation 
in  the  faces  of  Tyke  and  the  captain.  He  glimpsed 
the  horror  in  the  eyes  of  Ruth.  Then,  with  a  roar 
of  rage,  he  hurled  himself  at  the  one-eyed  mate. 

"You  lying  hound!"  he  shouted.  "If  crime's 
been  done,  you've  committed  it." 

Ditty  slid  back  a  step  and  met  the  younger  man's 
charge  with  a  coolness  that  showed  his  taunt  had 
been  premeditated  and  that  this  result  was  expected. 
As  the  enraged  Drew  closed  in,  the  mate  met  him 
with  a  frightful  swing  to  the  side  of  his  bandaged 
head. 

Drew's  head  rocked  on  his  shoulders,  and  for  a 


The  Storm  Breaks  167 

moment  he  was  dazed.  Blood  flowed  from  under 
the  bandage,  and  in  an  instant  his  cheek  and  neck 
were  besmeared  with  it.  The  bucko,  with  the  expe- 
rience of  long  years  of  rough  fighting,  landed  a  sec- 
ond blow  before  the  confused  Drew  could  put  up 
his  defense  again. 

But  that  was  the  last  blow  Ditty  did  land.  Drew's 
brain  cleared  suddenly.  Hot  rage  filled  his  heart. 
He  forgot  his  surroundings.  He  forgot  that  Ruth 
stood  by  to  see  his  metamorphosis  from  a  civilized 
man  into  an  uncivilized  one.  He  forgot  everything 
but  the  leering  face  of  the  lying  scoundrel  before 
him,  and  he  proceeded  to  change  that  face  into  a 
bruised  mask. 

His  skill  and  speed  made  the  mate,  with  only 
brute  force  behind  him,  seem  like  a  child.  Drew 
closed  Ditty's  remaining  eye,  split  his  upper  lip, 
puffed  both  his  cheeks  till  his  nose  was  scarcely  a 
ridge  between  them,  and  ended  by  landing  a  left 
hook  on  the  point  of  the  jaw  that  knocked  the  mate 
down  and  out. 

As  Drew  fell  back  from  the  fray,  which  had 
lasted  only  seconds,  so  swift  was  the  pace,  Tyke 
seized  him. 

"You've  done  enough,  boy !  You've  done  enough, 
Allen !"  he  exclaimed.  "Leave  life  in  the  scoundrel 
so  we  can  get  the  truth  out  of  him." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A    SEA    COURT 

"MR.  ROGERS,  take  the  deck!"  commanded  Cap- 
tain Hamilton  sharply.  "You  bullies,  get  forward 
with  you!"  he  added  to  the  curious  men  of  the 
watch.  "Don't  any  of  you  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that  if  it  were  a  seaman  instead  of  a  passenger  who 
attacked  Mr.  Ditty,  he'd  be  in  the  chain-locker  now. 

"Drew,  you  and  Tyke  come  below  with  me. 
When  you've  washed  your  face,  Mr.  Ditty,  I  want 
to  see  you  there  too.  Mr.  Rogers !" 

"Aye,  aye,  sir!"  responded  the  second  officer, 
smartly. 

"Pass  the  word  forward.  Has  anybody  seen  Mr. 
Parmalee  or  does  any  of  them  know  personally 
what's  happened  to  him?  No  second-hand  tales, 
mind  you." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir." 

With  all  his  rage  and  confusion  of  mind,  Drew 
realized  that  easy-going,  peace-loving  Captain  Ham- 
ilton had  suddenly  become  another  and  entirely 
different  being. 

Even  Ruth  descried  no  softness  in  her  father's 
countenace  now.  She  noted  that  his  eye  sparkled 
dangerously.  He  waved  her  before  him,  and  she 

168 


A  Sea  Court  169 

fled  down  the  companionway  steps  ahead  of  Drew 
and  Grimshaw. 

"Now,  what's  all  this  about?"  the  master  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton  demanded,  facing  Drew  across  the 
cabin  table. 

"Oh,  Father!"  gasped  Ruth.  "That— that 

Mr.  Ditty  says  Mr.  Parmalee  is  murdered  and  that 
Allen  did  it!" 

"That's  neither  here  nor  there,"  said  the  captain 
sternly.  "I  don't  believe  that  any  more  than  you  do. 
But  what  is  this  between  Ditty  and  Mr.  Drew? 
They  went  at  each  other  like  two  bulldogs  that  have 
nursed  a  grudge  for  a  year. 

"Now,  I  want  to  know  what  it  means,  Drew.  I 
heard — Ruth  told  me — of  the  little  run-in  you  had 
with  Ditty  the  day  you  first  met  my  daughter  on 
the  Jones  Lane  pier,"  pursued  Captain  Hamilton. 
"Ruth  was  carrying  a  letter  to  Captain  Peters  for 
me.  The  Normandy  is  bound  for  Hong  Kong, 
where  I'd  just  come  from,  and  Peters  and  I  have 
mutual  friends  out  there.  I  forgot  something  I 
wanted  Ruth  to  tell  Captain  Peters,  and  I  asked 
Ditty,  who  had  shore  leave,  to  waylay  her  and  give 
her  my  message.  She'd  never  seen  Ditty,  and  he 
startled  her.  He  isn't  a  beauty,  I  admit.  But  now, 
what  happened  after  that  between  you  two,  Drew  ?" 

"Nothing  at  all  that  day,"  said  the  young  man 
promptly.  "But  another  day  I  was  over  there,  at 
the  Normandy,  to  see — er — Captain  Peters,  and 


170  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

this  fellow  showed  up  half  drunk  and  gave  me  the 
dirty  side  of  his  tongue.  I  knocked  him  down." 

"Seems  to  me  you're  mighty  sudden  with  your 
fists,"  growled  Captain  Hamilton. 

"And  Mr.  Grimshaw  can  tell  you  something 
about  Ditty,  too,"  Drew  began;  but  the  master  of 
the  schooner  stopped  him. 

"Never  mind  about  that.  We're  discussing  your 
affair  with  Ditty.  I've  got  to  judge  between  you 
two.  I'm  judge,  jury,  and  hangman  in  this  case — 
until  we  make  some  port  where  there's  a  consul,  at 
least.  Now,  here's  the  mate.  No  more  fighting, 
remember  or  I'll  take  a  hand  in  it  myself." 

The  battered  Ditty  stumbled  down  the  cabin 
steps.  He  could  scarcely  see  out  of  his  single  eye; 
but  that  eye  glittered  malevolently  when  it  fell  upon 
Allen  Drew. 

"Sit  down,  Mr.  Ditty,"  said  the  captain  evenly. 
"We've  got  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  this  business. 
You've  said  something,  Mr.  Ditty,  that's  got  to  go 
down  on  the  log — and  it's  going  to  make  you  a  peck 
of  trouble  if  you  don't  prove  it.  You  understand 
that?" 

"I  know  it,"  snarled  Ditty,  through  his  puffed 
lips.  "He  done  it." 

"You  lying  hound !"  muttered  Drew. 

Captain  Hamilton  ignored  this.     He  said: 

"What  makes  you  say  that  Mr.  Drew  flung  Mr. 
Parmalee  overboard?" 


A  Sea  Court  171 

"Because  I  seen  him  do  it,"  answered  Ditty. 

Drew  started  for  the  mate  again,  but  Tyke  held 
him  back. 

"Go  ahead,  Mr.  Ditty.  Tell  your  story,"  com- 
manded the  captain  curtly. 

"They  was  both  standin'  abaft  the  mizzen,"  the 
mate  began,  "and  I  heard  'em  quarrelin'  about 
something.  I  went  there,  thinkin'  to  stop  'em  if 
it  was  anything  serious,  and  jest  as  I  got  near  'em 
I  seen  Mr.  Parmalee  up  and  hit  Mr.  Drew  on  the 
head  with  his  cane.  Then,  before  you  could  say 
Jack  Robinson,  Mr.  Drew  picked  up  Mr.  Parmalee 
as  if  he  had  been  a  baby  and  threw  him  over  the 
rail." 

There  was  a  stifled  murmur  from  the  group. 

"Why  didn't  you  give  the  alarm  and  lower  a 
boat?"  asked  the  captain. 

"I  was  goin'  to,  but  Mr.  Drew  turned  round  and 
saw  me.  He  whipped  a  gun  out  of  his  pocket  and 
swore  he'd  shoot  me  if  I  gave  the  alarm  or  said 
a  word.  He  held  me  under  the  point  of  his  gun  till 
it  was  too  late  to  lower  a  boat,  and  only  let  me  go 
after  I  promised  him  I'd  keep  mum  about  the  hull 
thing." 

"You're  a  fine  sailorman,"  charged  the  captain 
bitterly,  "to  let  a  man  drown  without  doing  any- 
thing to  help  him !  Why  didn't  you  take  a  chance?" 

"He  had  the  drop  on  me,"  mumbled  the  mate. 

The  captain  turned  to  Drew. 


172  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"What  about  it?"  he  asked. 

"Do  I  have  to  deny  such  a  yarn?"  the  young 
man  burst  out  hotly.  "What  can  I  say  except  that 
this  infernal  scoundrel  is  lying?  The  whole  ridicu- 
lous story  is  as  new  to  me  as  it  is  to  you.  The  last 
time  I  saw  Mr.  Parmalee  was  when  he  was  stand- 
ing beside  me  on  the  deck  last  night.  I  never  laid 
a  finger  on  him!'' 

"Where  were  you  standing?"  asked  the  captain. 

"Just  where  Ditty  says  I  was,"  replied  Drew 
frankly.  "That  part  of  the  story  is  true.  And  it's 
the  only  thing  in  it  that  is  true." 

"Did  you  have  any  unfriendly  words  with  Mr. 
Parmalee  ?" 

"Not  a  word,"  was  the  answer. 

"Ask  him  if  he  ever  had  any  quarrel  with  him 
afore  that,"  snarled  the  mate. 

"I  know  all  about  that,"  replied  the  captain 
sharply.  "I  was  there  myself.  It  was  just  a  little 
misundersanding,  and  it  blew  over  in  a  minute." 

"Ev'ry  one  on  board  knows  there  was  bad  blood 
'twixt  "em,"  put  in  the  mate,  "and  they  come  pretty 
nigh  to  guessin'  the  reason  for  it,  too,"  he  added 
with  a  leering  glance  at  Ruth. 

"Stop,  you  dog!"  shouted  the  captain  in  sudden 
rage.  "If  you  say  another  word  along  that  line 
I'll  knock  you  down!" 

The  mate  took  a  step  backward,  and  mumbled  an 
apology. 


A  Sea  Court  173 

"Go  on,  Drew,"  ordered  the  captain.  "When 
did  you  lose  sight  of  Mr.  Parmalee?''  ^ 

"I  slipped  on  the  deck  and  struck  my  head  on  the 
corner  of  the  hatch-cover.  Mr.  Parmalee  was  with 
me  at  the  time.  I  lost  my  senses  from  the  blow, 
and  when  I  came  to,  Parmalee  wasn't  there.  I  re- 
member thinking  it  strange  that  he  hadn't  helped 
me  when  I  fell,  but  I  was  dizzy  and  confused  and 
soon  forgot  about  it.  If  I  thought  of  him  at  all,  it 
was  to  suppose  that  he  had  gone  to  his  room.  I 
fully  expected  to  see  him  at  the  breakfast  table  this 
morning,  and  I  was  as  much  surprised  as  you  were 
when  he  didn't  turn  up." 

His  story  was  told  so  frankly  and  simply  that  it 
carried  conviction.  But  Ditty  still  had  a  card  up 
his  sleeve.  He  went  over  to  the  open  companion- 
way. 

"Give  me  that  cane,  Bill,"  he  called  to  a  sailor 
standing  at  a  little  distance. 

The  man  obeyed,  and  a  thrill  went  through  the 
group  as  they  recognized  it  as  having  belonged  to 
Lester  Parmalee.  Ruth  was  making  a  strong  effort 
for  self-control. 

"Look  at  the  blood-stains  on  this  cane,"  said 
Ditty  triumphantly,  as  he  handed  it  over  to  the 
captain. 

There  were,  in  truth,  dark  red  stains  on  the  end 
of  the  cane,  standing  out  clearly  in  contrast  with 
the  light  oak  color  of  the  stick  itself. 


174  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"That's  where  the  cut  on  Mr.  Drew's  head  come 
from,  jest  as  I  says,"  proclaimed  Ditty. 

"And  what's  more,"  he  went  on,  "there  ain't  any 
blood  on  the  edge  of  the  hatch  cover." 

"No,  there  wouldn't  be,"  muttered  Tyke,  "for 
the  deck  was  washed  down  this  morning,  of 
course." 

"Do  you  own  a  pistol,  Drew?"  asked  Captain 
Hamilton,  after  a  painful  pause. 

"Yes,"  admitted  the  accused  man.  "I  have  an 
automatic.  It's  in  my  stateroom  now.  But  I 
haven't  carried  it  since  I  came  on  board  the  ship. 
I  didn't  have  it  on  me  last  night." 

The  captain  mused  for  a  moment  in  evident 
perplexity. 

"Well,"  he  said,  rising  to  his  feet,  "that's  all  Mr. 
Ditty.  I'll  think  this  over  and  figure  out  what  it's 
best  to  do." 

"Ain't  you  goin'  to  put  him  in  irons?"  asked  the 
mate  truculently. 

"That's  none  of  your  business,"  snapped  the 
master  of  the  schooner.  "I'm  captain  of  this  craft, 
and  I'll  do  as  I  think  best.  You  are  relieved  from 
duty  for  the  present.  Lord  man!  but  you're  a 
sight." 

Ditty  wavered  as  though  some  impudent  reply 
were  forming  on  his  tongue ;  but  he  thought  better 
of  it  beneath  the  steady  gaze  of  the  captain's  eyes 
and  turned  to  go.  He  could  not,  however,  forbear 
a  parting  shot. 


A  Sea  Court  175 

"You  can  see  from  the  way  he  went  at  me  what 
a  savage  temper  he's  got/'  he  said.  "He'd  've 
killed  me  if  he  could  've.  And  if  he'd  do  that  to  me 
for  what  I  said,  what  would  've  stopped  his  doin' 
it  to  a  man  who  had  already  hit  him?" 

"That'll  do,  Mr.  Ditty!"  snapped  the  captain 
again. 

Tyke  left  no  doubt  as  to  where  he  stood.  Out  of 
respect  for  the  captain,  he  had  left  the  inquiry 
entirely  in  his  hands,  but  now  he  hobbled  over  to 
Drew  and  clapped  him  vigorously  on  the  shoulder. 

"Brace  up,  my  boy!"  he  exclaimed.  "I  don't 
know  jest  what  the  motive  of  that  swab  is,  but  I 
know  he  was  lying  from  first  to  last."  Ruth  was 
sobbing,  and  could  not  speak,  but  her  little  hand 
stole  into  the  young  man's,  and  he  grasped  it 
convulsively. 

"I  can't  believe  that  you  did  it  either,  Drew," 
declared  the  captain ;  but  there  was  a  lack  of  hearti- 
ness in  his  tone  that  Drew  was  quick  to  detect. 
"I'll  have  to  look  into  the  whole  matter  as  carefully 
as  I  know  how.  Parmalee's  disappearance  must 
be  accounted  for.  All  we  know  now  is  that  he 
isn't  to  be  found.  I'll  have  the  ship  searched,  but 
I  have  little  doubt  but  the  poor  fellow  has  gone 
overboard.  In  itself  that  doesn't  prove  anything. 
He  may  have  fallen  over.  But  we  can't  get  away 
from  the  fact  that  one  man  says  he  knows  how 
Parmalee  came  to  his  death.  He  may  be  lying. 


176  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

I  think  he  is.  I  hope  to  God  he  is.  But  the  whole 
matter  will  have  to  be  taken  up  by  the  proper 
authorities  as  soon  as  we  get  back  to  New  York." 

Drew's  brain  reeled.  He  saw  himself  in  a  court 
of  justice,  on  trial  for  his  life,  charged  with  a  hor- 
rible crime  that  he  had  no  means  of  refuting,  except 
by  his  own  unsupported  denial.  And  even  if  he  were 
acquitted,  the  black  cloud  of  suspicion  would  hang 
over  him  forever. 

"But  I'm  going  to  believe  you're  innocent  until 
I'm  forced  to  believe  the  contrary,"  continued  the 
captain;  "and  God  help  Ditty  if  I  find  he's  been 
lying!" 

"He  is  lying,"  protested  Drew  passionately.  "I 
never  dreamed  of  injurying  Parmalee.  Did  I  act 
like  a  murderer  last  night  when  you  bound  up  my 
head,  Ruth?" 

"No!  no!"  sobbed  the  girl. 

"Did  I  act  like  a  murderer  at  the  table  this  morn- 
ing?" Drew  continued,  conscious  that  he  was 
proving  nothing,  but  clutching  eagerly  at  every 
straw. 

"You're  no  more  a  murderer  than  I  am!"  almost 
shouted  Tyke,  moved  to  the  depth  by  Drew's 
distress. 

"You're  going  to  have  the  benefit  of  every  doubt, 
my  boy,"  the  captain  assured  him  soothingly.  "But 
now  you'd  better  go  to  your  room  and  try  to  pull 
yourself  together.  We're  all  upset,  and  talking 


A  Sea  Court  177 

won't  do  us  any  good  until  we've  got  something 
else  to  go  on.  But  you  have  got  to  promise  me 
that  you'll  leave  Ditty  alone." 

"I'll  leave  him  alone  if  he  leaves  me  alone." 

"That  is  all  I  ask.  I'll  warn  him  to  keep  away 
from  you." 

Drew  released  Ruth's  hand.  She  threw  herself 
on  her  father's  breast,  and  the  young  man  groped 
his  way  to  his  room.  Once  there,  he  sat  down  and 
tried  to  face  calmly  the  terrible  indictment  that  had 
been  made  against  him. 

He  did  not  delude  himself  as  to  the  bits  of  cir- 
cumstantial evidence  that  might  be  used  to  piece 
out  that  indictment  to  make  it  plausible. 

What  was  Ditty's  motive?  He  racked  his  brain 
in  vain  to  find  it.  There  was,  to  be  sure,  the  row 
upon  the  pier,  but  that  had  been  only  a  trifle,  and 
the  world  would  never  believe  that  for  anything 
like  that  a  man  would  swear  away  the  life  of  an- 
other. 

The  previous  quarrel  between  him  and  Lester 
Parmalee  seemed  to  establish  the  fact  that  there 
was  bad  blood  between  them.  There  was  the  cut 
upon  his  head,  received  at  the  very  time  that  Par- 
malee disappeared.  There  were  the  blood  stains 
on  the  cane,  carrying  the  inference  that  that  stick 
in  the  hand  of  Parmalee  had  inflicted  his  wound. 
He  owned  a  revolver,  which  would  bear  out  Ditty's 
statement  that  the  mate  had  been  intimidated  by  it 


178  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Then  there  was  his  own  savage  attack  on  Ditty, 
which  showed  his  hot  and  impetuous  temper. 

He  groaned  as  he  saw  what  could  be  made  of  all 
these  tilings  in  the  hands  of  a  clever  district  attor- 
ney, lie  could  see  the  picture  that  would  be  drawn 
for  the  benefit  of  the  jury.  The  old,  old  story — a 
beautiful  woman  with  two  young  and  ardent  suit- 
ors; one  quarrel  already  having  occurred;  a  meet- 
ing in  the  dark ;  a  renewal  of  the  quarrel ;  an  attack 
by  the  weaker  with  a  cane;  the  blow  that  turned 
the  stronger  into  a  maddened  beast  and  prompted 
him  to  grasp  his  frail  rival  and  throw  him  into  the 
sea.  What  was  more  possible?  What  was  more 
probable?  Jealousy  had  caused  thousands  of  simi- 
lar tragedies  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

And  when  to  these  damaging  circumstances  was 
added  the  testimony  of  a  declared  eye-witness  who 
seemed  to  have  no  sufficient  reason  for  lying,  what 
would  the  jury  do? 

Drew  shuddered,  and  his  soul  turned  sick  within 
him. 

And  Ruth!  He  ground  his  teeth  in  rage  at  the 
thought  of  her  name  being  dragged  into  the  terrible 
story,  as  it  certainly  would  be. 

Even  supposing  that  he  should  be  given  the  bene- 
fit of  the  doubt  and  discharged,  his  life  would  be 
utterly  wrecked.  He  could  not  ask  her  to  share  the 
life  of  a  man  who  the  world  would  believe  owed 
his  escape  from  the  penitentiary  to  luck  rather  than 


A  Sea  Court  179 

to  his  innocence.  Even  if  she  were  willing,  he 
could  not  ask  her  to  link  her  life  with  his. 

All  through  that  day  and  part  of  the  next,  he 
lived  in  an  inferno.  By  tacit  consent,  the  members 
of  the  party  refrained  from  talking  of  the  one  thing 
about  which  all  were  thinking.  When  they  met, 
they  spoke  of  indifferent  matters,  but  there  was  a 
hideous  feeling  of  restraint  that  could  not  be  dis- 
pelled, and  gloom  hung  over  them  like  a  pall. 

The  morning  of  the  second  day,  as  they  were 
cruising  about  in  the  longitude  and  latitude  indi- 
cated by  the  map,  the  voice  of  the  lookout  re- 
sounded from  the  masthead. 

"Land  ho!" 

"Where  away?"  shouted  Rogers,  who  chanced 
to  be  officer  of  the  deck. 

"Three  points  on  the  weather  bow,"  was  the 
answer. 

Rogers  reported  instantly  to  the  captain,  who 
came  rushing  on  deck,  followed  by  the  other 
members  of  the  party. 

The  captain  adjusted  his  binoculars  and  looked 
hard  and  long  at  a  black  speck  rising  from  the 
waves.  Finally  he  dropped  the  glass. 

"The  hump  of  the  whale !"  he  announced. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

FOREBODINGS 

THE  hearts  of  all  on  board  were  thrilled.  Crew 
and  passengers  alike  were  delighted,  although  the 
latter  had  a  special  reason  for  excitement  of  which 
the  former  were  supposed  to  be  ignorant. 

The  schooner  had  been  proceeding  under  full  sail, 
but  as  she  approached  nearer  to  the  land  whose 
outlines  at  every  moment  became  more  distinct,  the 
topgallants  were  taken  in  until  the  Bertha  Hamilton 
had  just  enough  canvas  drawing  to  give  her  good 
steerage  way. 

Before  long  the  schooner  approached  near  enough 
for  those  on  board  to  see  the  island  plainly  with 
the  naked  eye.  It  seemed  to  be  several  miles  in 
length.  It  looked  like  an  emerald  floating  in  the 
sunlight.  Lush  vegetation  extended  to  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  sea,  and  a  silvery  stretch  of 
beach  edged  the  breakers  that  curled  and  burst  with 
an  unceasing  roar. 

There  was  no  sign  of  human  habitation  any- 
where. No  hut  broke  the  smooth  expanse  of  the 
beach  or  peeped  out  from  among  the  trees.  The 
impression  of  an  uninhabited  wilderness  was 
heightened  by  great  numbers  of  pelicans  and  cranes, 

180 


Forebodings  181 

who  stood  sleepily  on  one  foot  or  stalked  solemnly 
about  pursuing  their  fishing  in  the  shallows. 

There  was  only  one  place  where  the  outline  of 
the  coast  was  broken.  At  the  eastern  end  the  claws 
of  a  reef  extended  for  about  half  a  mile  into  the  sea, 
making  a  barrier  behind  which  the  water  was  com- 
paratively calm,  though  at  the  opening,  of  about 
two  hundred  yards,  there  ran  a  turbulent  sea. 

"That  must  be  the  inlet  shown  on  the  pirate's 
map,"  whispered  Tyke,  who  was  standing  at  the 
rail  of  the  Bertha  Hamilton  close  beside  the  captain. 

"That's  probably  what  it  is,"  replied  Captain 
Hamilton,  his  voice  showing  the  agitation  under 
which  he  was  laboring.  "But  before  we  put  her 
through  the  opening,  I'm  going  to  take  soundings. 
Mr.  Ditty!"  he  called,  "heave  to  and  lower  a  boat 
to  take  soundings." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  responded  the  mate. 

In  a  twinkling  the  necessary  orders  were  given, 
the  Bertha  Hamilton  lost  way  and  rounded  to,  and 
a  boat  manned  by  six  sailors  was  dropped  from  the 
davits  on  the  lee  side. 

"Pull  away  smartly  now,  my  lads,"  called  the 
mate  as  he  took  the  tiller- ropes. 

It  required  smart  seamanship  to  get  through  that 
rushing  raceway  without  capsizing;  but,  whatever 
Ditty's  faults,  he  did  not  lack  ability,  and  the  work 
was  done  in  a  way  that  elicited  an  unwilling  grunt 
of  admiration  from  Tvke. 


182  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

In  less  than  two  hours  the  requisite  soundings 
had  been  taken,  and  Ditty  came  to  report. 

"Plenty  of  depth,  sir,"  he  reported.  "No  less 
than  ten  fathoms  anywhere.  And  a  good  bottom." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Ditty,"  replied  the  captain.  "Put 
the  canvas  on  her  now  and  we'll  take  her  through." 

The  captain  himself  assumed  charge  of  this  crit- 
ical operation,  and  under  half  sail  the  Bertha  Ham- 
ilton dashed  through  as  though  welcoming  the  end 
of  her  journey.  She  made  the  channel  without 
mishap,  and  let  go  her  anchor  within  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  of  the  head  of  the  lagoon. 

Inside  the  breakwater  the  sea  was  almost  as 
smooth  as  a  mirror.  The  water  was  wonderfully 
transparent,  and  they  could  see  hundreds  of  tropical 
fish  swimming  lazily  at  a  great  depth.  On  the  beach 
the  waves  lapped  in  musical  ripples,  in  striking  con- 
trast to  the  thundering  surf  on  the  reef. 

The  captain  wiped  his  perspiring  forehead  and 
drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  "So  far  so  good,"  he 
remarked.  "It  won't  be  long  now  before  we'll 
know  whether  we've  come  on  a  fool's  errand  or 
not." 

"There's  one  thing  about  which  the  map  hasn't 
lied,  anyway,"  said  Drew.  "It  pointed  out  the  inlet 
just  where  we  found  it.  That's  a  good  omen,  it 
seems  to  me." 

"Let's  hope  the  rest  of  the  map  is  all  right," 
replied  the  captain.  "But  it's  nearly  time  for  din- 


Forebodings  183 

ner  now,  and  we'll  have  that  before  going  ashore." 

All  were  so  feverishly  impatient,  now  that  they 
were  almost  in  sight  of  their  goal,  that  none  of 
them  paid  much  attention  to  the  meal,  and  it  was 
soon  over. 

"Do  you  s'pose  the  crew  have  any  idee  why 
we're  stopping  at  this  island?"  asked  Tyke.  There 
was  a  grim  look  on  his  seamed  countenance,  and 
both  the  captain  and  Drew  looked  at  him  curiously. 

"What's  milling  in  your  brain,  Tyke?"  asked 
Captain  Hamilton.  "I've  kept  my  eyes  peeled,  and 
I  swear  I  haven't  seen  anything  more  to  suggest 
treachery.  Ditty's  on  his  best  behavior " 

"Yes;  that's  so,"  agreed  Tyke.  "But  did  you 
spy  the  men  he  took  with  him  in  the  boat  jest  now, 
when  he  came  in  here  to  make  soundings?" 

"I  didn't  notice,"  the  captain  confessed. 

"The  orneriest  ones  of  the  whole  bunch.  An', 
believe  me !  this  is  the  wo'st  crew  of  dock  scrapings 
I  ever  set  eyes  on,"  growled  Tyke.  "Ditty  did  a 
lot  of  talking  in  the  boat — I  watched  'em  through 
my  glass.  Them  six  are  his  close  friends,  Cap'n 
Rufe.  They've  laid  their  plans " 

"Holy  mackerel!"  exclaimed  Captain  Hamilton. 
"What  are  you  saying,  Tyke?" 

"I've  figgered  out  that  we  aren't  going  to  have 
things  our  own  way  down  here,"  the  other  said  ear- 
nestly. "I've  been  waiting  for  you  to  say  some- 
thing, Cap'n  Rufe,  ever  since  that  Bug-eye  accused 


184  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Allen  like  he  did.  Ditty's  on  to  our  game — has 
been  on  to  it  right  along — an'  he  selected  this  crew 
of  wharf-rats  for  a  purpose." 

"I  agree  with  you,  Mr.  Grimshaw,"  Drew  de- 
clared eagerly.  "That's  what  Ditty  was  after 
when  he  tried  to  rob  you  at  the  time  you  were 
knocked  down  by  the  automobile.  You  were  right. 
He  did  push  you  back  in  front  of  the  machine,  and 
then  he  searched  your  pockets  while  you  were  on 
the  ground." 

"For  what?"  demanded  Captain  Hamilton, 
staring. 

"For  the  paper  and  the  map.  Ditty  believed  Mr. 
Grimshaw  carried  that  confession  in  his  pocket," 
Drew  replied. 

The  master  of  the  schooner  rose  and  began  to 
walk  about  in  excitement. 

"That's  it!  He  was  lurking  outside  your  office 
door  that  day,  Tyke,  when  we  first  found  the 
papers  in  Manuel  Gomez's  chest.  I  see  it  now.  He 
was  aboard  the  schooner  that  very  evening,  too, 
when  I  told  Ruth  at  dinner  about  the  pirate's  doub- 
loons. He  might  have  been  eavesdropping  then." 

"An'  I  bet  he  flung  poor  Parmalee  over  the 
rail  himself,"  said  Tyke.  Hamilton's  expression 
changed  and  he  shook  his  head  at  that. 

"He'd  git  rid  of  one  of  the  after-guard  that 
way,"  urged  Tyke.  "Parmalee  could  shoot.  An'  if 
it  comes  to  a  fight 


Forebodings  185 

"My  soul!"  groaned  Captain  Hamilton  suddenly. 
"And  Ruth  with  us !" 

"What  about  Ruth?"  asked  that  young  lady 
cheerfully,  coming  from  her  cabin.  "Aren't  you  all 
ready  yet?  I  am  going  ashore  with  you." 

"Yes;  you'd  better  come,"  said  her  father 
gloomily. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter?"  she  demanded. 

"We  were  just  wondering,"  said  Drew  quickly, 
assuming  a  casual  tone  to  cover  their  real  emotion, 
"if  the  crew  suspected  our  reason  for  touching  at 
this  island." 

Captain  Hamilton  picked  up  the  ball  at  once. 

"But  I  don't  believe  they  do,"  he  said.  "Of 
course,  it  would  have  seemed  strange  to  the  mate 
and  to  Rogers  if  I  hadn't  given  them  some  explana- 
tion, especially  as  we  came  out  in  ballast.  So  I 
dropped  hints  that  we  were  out  on  a  survey  expedi- 
tion that  couldn't  be  talked  of  just  now.  They 
probably  have  the  idea  that  we're  looking  up  a 
suitable  coaling  station  for  the  Government,  or 
something  of  that  kind.  To  carry  that  out,  I've  got 
some  surveyor's  instruments  here  that  we'll  take 
along  with  us,  just  for  a  blind." 

"Let's  hope  it'll  work,"  said  Tyke  dubiously. 
"An'  it  won't  do  any  harm  to  take  our  guns 
along." 

"There's  a  pair  of  revolvers  for  each  of  us,"  re- 
plied Captain  Hamilton,  opening  the  closet  where 


186          Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

he  kept  the  arms  that  Drew  had  previously  seen; 
"and  we'll  take  half  a  dozen  guns  along  with  us  in 
the  boat.  There  may  be  snakes  or  wild  animals  on 
the  islands." 

"I  must  have  a  revolver  too,  Daddy,"  said  the 
girl. 

"Of  course,  my  dear,"  agreed  the  captain. 

"Mebbe  you'd  better  not  put  any  cartridges  in 
it,  Cap'n  Rufe,"  said  Grimshaw,  taking  Ruth  play- 
fully by  the  arm.  "They'd  be  more  dangerous  to 
us  than  to  anything  else." 

"It's  mean  of  you  to  say  that,  Mr.  Grimshaw," 
pouted  Ruth.  "You'll  find  that  I  can  use  a  gun  as 
well  as  anybody." 

"Mebbe  so,  mebbe  so,  my  dear,"  said  Tyke  in- 
dulgently. 

"Hadn't  we  better  take  some  provisions  along?" 
asked  Ruth,  as  she  slipped  the  cartridges  into  her 
revolver  and  put  the  weapon  :n  the  pocket  of  the 
sports  skirt  that  she  had  donned. 

"That  won't  be  necessary,"  replied  the  captain. 
"We'll  be  back  before  nightfall.  This  is  just  a  little 
preliminary  scouting.  We  won't  have  time  for 
more  than  that  this  afternoon.  The  real  work  of 
searching  for  the  treasure  will  begin  to-morrow." 

The  preparations  finished,  the  party  went  on 
deck. 

"Crew  had  their  dinner  yet,  Mr.  Ditty?"  Captain 
Hamilton  asked  of  his  first  officer." 


Forebodings  187 

"My  watch  have,  sir,"  was  the  answer.  "The 
others  are  eating  now." 

"Pick  out  half  a  dozen  men  and  lower  the  boat," 
ordered  the  captain.  "We're  going  ashore  for  a 
few  hours.  We'll  be  back  for  supper." 

"How  long  will  we  lay  up  here,  sir?" 

"Carr't  tell  yet.  Perhaps  two  or  three  days.  Pos- 
sibly a  week  or  more." 

"How  about  shore  leave  for  the  men,  sir?" 

"Beginning  to-morrow,  they  can  go  ashore  in 
batches  of  ten.  This  afternoon,  Mr.  Rogers  and  a 
boat's  crew  can  take  the  long  boat  and  some  casks 
and  go  ashore  to  look  for  water." 

"Very  well,  sir,"  replied  the  mate,  with  a  curious 
expression  on  his  face. 

As  he  turned  away,  his  one  eye  fell  on  Drew. 
They  had  not  met  since  the  fight  two  days  before. 
They  stared  at  each  other  for  several  seconds,  until 
Ditty's  eye  fell  before  the  concentrated  fury  in 
those  of  the  young  man. 

Ruth,  who  had  witnessed  the  interchange  of 
looks,  put  her  hand  lightly  on  Drew's  arm. 

"Aren't  you  going  to  help  me  into  the  boat, 
Allen?"  she  asked. 

His  rage  at  Ditty  vanished  in  an  instant  as  he 
turned  to  her.  She  was  trying  to  smile,  but  there 
was  no  laughter  in  her  dewy  eyes.  But  Drew  saw 
there  something  deeper  and  sweeter  and  tenderer. 
There  was  immense  sympathy  and — what  was  that 


188          Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

other  fugitive  expression  that  he  caught  before  her 
eyelids  lowered? 

He  bent  toward  her,  but  just  then  Grimshaw  and 
the  captain  ranged  alongside,  and  they  had  to  take 
their  places  in  the  boat. 

The  members  of  the  crew  who  had  been  told  off 
for  the  service,  bent  to  the  oars,  and,  at  a  rapid 
pace,  they  approached  the  shore.  The  beach 
shelved  gradually,  and  they  had  no  trouble  in  mak- 
ing a  landing.  The  sailors  leaped  out  into  the  shal- 
low water  and  drew  the  boat  well  up  on  the  strand, 
and  the  party  disembarked. 

Drew  wished  that  they  had  found  it  necessary 
to  wade.  With  what  delight  he  would  have  carried 
Ruth  in  those  strong  arms  of  his! 

"We'll  be  back  in  an  hour  or  two,  my  lads,"  said 
the  captain.  "You  can  scatter  about  and  do  as  you 
like  until  we  return,  as  long  as  you  keep  within 
hail  of  the  boat." 

With  the  captain  and  Tyke  in  the  lead,  and  Drew 
following  behind  to  help  Ruth  over  the  hard  places, 
they  plunged  into  the  unknown  forest.  After  all, 
they  went  slowly,  for  Tyke  had  to  favor  what  he 
called  his  "game  leg." 

For  all  the  evidence  that  the  wood  afforded,  it 
had  been  untrodden  for  many  years.  Giant  ceiba 
trees  reared  themselves  two  hundred  feet  into  the 
air.  Lianas  hung  in  festoons  from  the  boughs  like 
monstrous  boa  constrictors.  Parrots  flew  squawk- 


Forebodings  189 

ing  from  branch  to  branch,  and  humming  birds  and 
butterflies  of  many  hues  and  gorgeous  beauty 
darted  like  bright  arrows  among  the  flowers. 

The  underbrush  was  thick  and  in  some  places 
impenetrable,  and  the  treasure  seekers  would  have 
found  their  progress  very  slow  if  it  had  not  been 
for  certain  irregular  trails  that  seemed  to  have  been 
hewn  through  the  woods  at  intervals.  In  some 
places  these  trails  were  many  yards  wide,  while 
at  others  they  narrowed  to  a  foot  or  two.  Nothing 
grew  upon  them,  but  they  were  covered  by  dead 
leaves  and  twigs  of  varying  depths. 

"Wonder  how  these  trails  came  here,"  said  the 
captain.  "There  are  no  footprints  on  them,  and  yet 
they  must  have  been  made  by  animals  or  men." 

"Better  keep  our  eyes  peeled,"  warned  Tyke. 

The  captain,  who  had  scraped  away  some  of  the 
accumulated  leaves  and  rubbish,  gave  a  sudden 
exclamation. 

"Why,  this  path  is  made  of  stone !"  he  cried.  He 
dropped  on  his  knees  and  examined  more  closely. 
When  he  rose  to  his  feet  his  face  was  grave. 

"It's  lava!"  he  stated. 

"Then  the  island  must  be  volcanic!"  exclaimed 
Drew,  startled  by  the  thought. 

"Nothing  very  surprising  about  that  when  you 
come  to  think  of  it,"  Tyke  declared.  "We're  right 
down  here  in  the  earthquake  zone,  where  the 
earth's  liable  to  throw  a  fit  any  time.  Like  enough 


190  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

this  old  whaleback  is  a  sleeping  volcano.  She  may 
blow  up  again  some  time." 

"Just  as  it  did  at  Martinique,"  confirmed  the  cap- 
tain. "Perhaps  that  may  explain  the  absence  of 
people  hereabouts.  They  may  have  all  been  wiped 
out  by  some  eruption,  or  they  may  have  been  so 
scared  that  they  left  the  island  for  safer  quarters." 

"I  don't  think  we  have  much  to  worry  about," 
remarked  Tyke.  "There  ain't  any  doubt  but  this 
hill  we're  heading  for  has  been  at  some  time  a  vol- 
cano. But  likely  it's  been  quiet  for  hundreds  of 
years.  An'  it's  not  likely  that  it's  going  to  git 
busy  now  jest  for  our  special  benefit.  Let's  hike 
along." 

"There's  one  good  thing  about  it,  anyway,"  re- 
marked Drew,  as  they  resumed  their  march.  "It's 
burned  out  these  paths  and  made  the  walking  easier. 
And  it's  pointed  out  just  the  way  we  want  to  go. 
All  we  have  to  do  is  to  follow  this  path  and  it  can't 
help  but  lead  us  right  up  to  the  whale's  hump." 

"That's  the  point  we  want  to  head  for,"  replied 
the  captain,  consulting  the  map.  "You'll  notice 
that  these  circles  seem  to  be  on  the  slope  of  the  hill 
not  so  very  far  from  the  top.  Besides,  that  pirate 
fellow  would  be  likely  to  go  quite  a  way  in  from  the 
shore  to  bury  his  loot." 

Half  a  mile  further  on,  a  little  stream  ran 
through  the  forest.  The  party  went  over  to  it,  and 
Drew,  bending  down  and  making  a  cup  of  his 


Forebodings  191 

hands,  bore  some  of  the  water  to  his  lips.  He  made 
a  wry  face  and  almost  choked. 

"Sulphur!"  he  exclaimed.     "It's  full  of  it." 

Captain  Hamilton,   too,  tasted. 

"Another  proof,  if  we  needed  it,  that  the  island 
is  volcanic,"  he  observed.  Then,  in  a  tone  that  only 
Drew  heard,  he  added :  "What  I  don't  like  about  it 
is  that  it  shows  there's  brimstone  in  the  old  whale's 
hump  yet.  If  there  wasn't,  the  water  would  have 
sweetened  long  ago." 

Tyke  and  Ruth  each  took  a  few  drops  of  the 
water,  and  then  the  party  went  on  a  little  more 
soberly  than  before.  The  trees  soon  became  more 
scattered,  though  the  undergrowth  was  dense.  Be- 
fore long  they  emerged  on  a  sort  of  plateau  above 
which  was  lifted,  at  a  height  of  two  hundred  feet 
or  more,  the  whale's  hump. 

Its  sides  were  heaped  with  masses  of  hardened 
lava  in  all  kinds  of  grotesque  shapes.  It  was  utterly 
desolate  and  bare.  Ruth  shuddered  as  she  looked 
at  the  weird  scene. 

"I  don't  wonder  that  some  place  around  here  is 
called  the  Witch's  Head,"  she  remarked.  "This 
must  be  like  the  place  where  Macbeth  saw  the 
witches  brewing  their  potions." 

"Except  that  they  brewed  them  'in  lightning, 
thunder  and  in  rain',"  said  Drew.  "Those  are  the 
only  things  that  are  missing." 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  there  was  a  rum- 


192  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

bling  that  sounded  like  thunder.  Drew  was  startled, 
and  Ruth  grew  slightly  pale. 

"That's  funny,"  remarked  Tyke.  ''Weather's  as 
clear  as  a  bell  too.  This  ain't  the  hurricane 
season." 

The  captain  was  in  a  brown  study,  seemingly 
unheedful  of  the  rumbling  sound.  In  a  moment  he 
roused  himself  and  said: 

"Well,  now  let's  scatter  about  and  see  if  we  can 
find  anything  that  looks  like  The  Three  Sisters  or 
the  Witch's  Head." 

Grimshaw  sat  down  to  rest,  not  wishing  to  put 
too  heavy  a  strain  on  the  leg  that  had  been  injured, 
and  the  others  wandered  about  for  half  an  hour 
trying  to  discover  anything  that  might  be  identified 
as  the  places  named  on  the  map.  But  their  efforts 
were  fruitless,  and  the  captain,  looking  at  his  watch, 
called  a  halt. 

"Nothing  more  doing  now,"  he  said.  "We  have 
only  time  to  get  back  to  the  boat.  But  we've  got 
our  bearings  and  have  done  a  good  afternoon's 
work.  To-morrow's  a  new  day,  and  we'll  get  on 
the  job  early." 

Reluctantly,  the  little  party  went  back  to  the  boat. 
They  found  the  crew  waiting  for  them  and  were 
pulled  rapidly  to  the  schooner,  whose  anchor  lights 
were  already  gleaming  like  fireflies  in  the  sudden 
dusk. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE    EARTH    TREMBLES 

IT  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  after  their  sur- 
roundings of  the  last  few  hours,  that  the  treasure 
seekers  found  themselves  again  on  board  the  Bertha 
Hamilton  and  seated  in  the  bright  cabin  at  the  ap- 
petizing and  abundant  meal  that  Wah  Lee  had 
prepared  for  them. 

All  four  felt  jubilant  at  the  discoveries  they  had 
made.  Drew  and  Ruth  were  sure  that  tfiey  were 
on  the  very  brink  of  finding  the  pirate  hoard,  and 
might,  that  very  afternoon,  have  uncovered  it  if 
they  had  had  a  few  more  hours  of  daylight.  To- 
morrow, they  felt  sure,  would  find  them  in  pos- 
session of  the  doubloons. 

Drew's  personal  trouble  had  been  for  the  moment 
obscured,  although  the  thought  of  it  was  sure  to 
return  to  torment  him  as  soon  as  the  excitement  of 
the  afternoon's  search  was  past. 

One  thing  served  to  delight  and  to  torture  him 
at  the  same  time.  He  was  almost  sure  that  he  had 
surprised  a  secret  in  the  eyes  of  Ruth.  He  was 
thrilled  as  he  thought  of  it.  But  the  next  moment 
he  groaned  in  anguish  as  he  remembered  the  fright- 
ful charge  hanging  over  his  head.  What  had  he 
now  to  offer  her  but  a  wrecked  career  and  a 
blackened  name? 

193 


194  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

The  exhilaration  all  had  felt  on  their  return  was 
followed  soon  by  reaction.  Ruth  withdrew  early 
to  her  room,  pleading  weariness.  Tyke  was 
thoughtful,  thinking  of  the  thunder  he  had  heard 
just  before  they  had  left  the  island.  The  captain 
went  on  deck  only  to  find  in  the  report  of  the  second 
officer  more  cause  for  gravity. 

Mr.  Rogers  came  up  to  him  as  he  emerged  from 
the  cabin. 

"Couldn't  get  any  water  this  afternoon,  sir,"  he 
reported.  "Found  some;  but  it  tasted  strong  of 
sulphur,  sir." 

"Yes,  I  know,  Mr.  Rogers,"  replied  the  captain. 
"I  tasted  some  myself  while  I  was  ashore,  and 
found  it  no  good.  Still,  we've  got  plenty  on  board, 
so  it  doesn't  matter." 

Still  the  second  officer  lingered. 

"What  is  it,  Mr.  Rogers?"  asked  the  captain, 
who  saw  that  the  man  had  something  on  his  mind. 

"Why,  I  hardly  know  how  to  put  it,  sir,"  an- 
swered the  second  officer,  a  little  confusedly.  "Per- 
haps it's  foolish  to  speak  about  it;  and  there  may 
be  nothing  in  it,  after  all." 

"Out  with  it,  Mr.  Rogers,"  ordered  the  captain, 
all  alert  in  an  instant. 

"Why,  it's  this  way,  sir,"  returned  the  second 
officer.  "I  don't  like  the  way  the  men  are  acting. 
I  never  was  sweet  on  the  crew  from  the  beginning, 
for  the  matter  of  that,  not  meaning  any  disrespect 


The  Earth  Trembles  195 

to  Mr.  Ditty,  who  had  the  choosing  of  most  of 
them.  There's  a  few  of  them  that  are  smart  sea- 
men, but  most  of  them  are  rank  swabs  that  don't 
know  a  marlinspike  from  a  backstay.  Seem  more 
like  a  gang  of  river  pirates  than  deep-sea  sailors." 

"I  know  that  most  of  them  are  a  poor  lot,"  re- 
plied the  captain.  "But  they've  managed  to  work 
the  ship  down  here,  and  I  guess  they  can  get  her 
home  again." 

"But  it  isn't  only  that,  sir,"  went  on  the  other. 
"There's  altogether  too  much  whispering  and  get- 
ting into  corners  when  the  men  are  off  duty  to  suit 
me.  And  they  shut  up  like  clams  when  I  pass  near 
'em.  And  they're  surly  and  impudent  when  I  give 
'em  orders.  I've  had  to  lick  a  half  dozen  of  'em 
already." 

"Well,  you've  got  Mr.  Ditty  to  help  you  out," 
said  the  captain. 

"That's  another  queer  thing,  sir,"  continued  the 
second  officer,  evidently  reluctant  to  speak  against 
his  superior.  "Mr.  Ditty  is  usually  quicker  with  his 
fists  than  he  is  with  his  tongue;  but  I  never  saw 
him  like  he  is  on  this  voyage.  Seems  like  at  times 
as  though  he  took  the  men's  part,  sir." 

"That's  a  hard  saying,  Mr.  Rogers,"  said  the 
captain. 

"True  enough,  sir ;  but  you  told  me  to  speak  out. 
I  had  trouble  with  some  of  the  men  this  very  after- 
tioon,  sir,  when  I  went  over  to  the  island.  They 


196  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

found  the  water  tasted  of  sulphur,  and  some  of  'em 
started  in  saying  that  the  devil  wasn't  very  far  off 
when  you  could  taste  brimstone  so  plain.  Of 
course,  sailors  are  superstitious,  and  I  wouldn't 
have  thought  anything  of  that,  only  it  seemed  as 
if  the  bad  ones  were  just  making  that  an  excuse 
to  get  the  others  sore  and  discontented.  They 
were  growling  and  muttering  amongst  themselves 
all  the  time  they  were  ashore. 

"I've  got  it  off  my  chest  now,  sir,  and  maybe 
you'll  think  it's  foolish,  but  I  thought  you  ought 
to  know.  There's  something  going  on  that  I  can't 
understand,  and  it  bothers  me." 

"You've  done  quite  right  to  tell  me  what  you 
have,  Mr.  Rogers,"  replied  the  captain,  "and  I'm 
obliged  to  you.  I'll  think  it  over.  In  the  mean- 
time, keep  your  eyes  wide  open  and  let  me  know 
at  once  if  anything  comes  to  light.  By  the  way, 
did  you  ever  find  anybody  who  saw  what  happened 
to  Mr.  Parmalee?" 

"Not  a  man  among  'em  will  own  to  having  seen 
anything.  It  was  a  dark  night,"  replied  Mr. 
Rogers,  touching  his  cap  and  turning  away. 

Captain  Hamilton  sought  out  Tyke  immediately 
and  related  to  him  what  Rogers  had  said. 

"How  many  men  that  you  know  you  can  depend 
on  have  you  got  in  your  crew  ?"  asked  Tyke  quickly. 

"Not  more  than  a  dozen  that  I'm  sure  of,"  ad- 
mitted Captain  Hamilton.  "That  many've  sailed 


The  Earth  Trembles  197 

with  me  on  a  number  of  voyages  and  they  came 
home  with  me  from  Hong  Kong.  They  are  as 
good  men  as  ever  hauled  on  a  sheet.  But  even 
some  of  them  may  have  been  affected  by  whatever 
it  is  that's  brewing.  It  takes  only  a  few  rotten 
apples  to  spoil  a  barrel,  you  know." 

"A  dozen,"  mused  Tyke  reflectively.  "Those, 
with  you  and  Allen  and  me  would  make  fifteen." 

"Don't  forget  Rogers,"  put  in  Hamilton. 

"Sixteen,"  corrected  Tyke.  "That  leaves  only 
eighteen,  if  Ditty's  got  'em  all.  Counting  himself, 
that's  nineteen.  Sixteen  against  nineteen.  Con- 
sidering the  kind  of  muts  they  are,  we  ought  to  lick 
the  tar  out  of  'em." 

"We  could  if  it  came  to  open  fighting.  But  if 
they're  up  to  mischief,  they'll  know  what  they're 
after  and  will  have  the  advantage  of  striking  the 
first  blow. 

"That  is,"  he  went  on,  "if  there's  anything  in  it 
at  all.  Perhaps  we're  just  imagining  they  mean 
something  serious,  when  after  all  it  may  be  only  a 
matter  of  sailors'  grumbling.  Rogers  may  have 
only  uncovered  a  mare's  nest." 

"Perhaps,"  admitted  Tyke.  "All  the  same,  I've 
never  trusted  that  rascal,  Ditty,  from  the  minute  I 
clapped  eyes  on  him.  An'  since  he  lied  so  about 
Allen,  I  know  he's  a  scoundrel." 

"I  hope  he  did  lie,"  said  the  captain  doubtfully. 

"Hope!"  cried  the  old  man  hotly.     "Don't  you 


198  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

know?  Look  here,  Rufe  Hamilton,  you  an'  me 
have  been  friends  for  going  on  thirty  years,  but  we 
break  friendship  right  here  and  now  if  you  tell  me 
you  don't  know  that  Ditty  lied!" 

"There,  there,  Tyke,"  soothed  the  skipper,  "have 
it  your  own  way.  But  what  we  have  on  hand  just 
now  is  how  to  get  the  better  of  Ditty  and  his  gang." 

Gradually  Tyke's  ruffled  feathers  were  smoothed 
and  he  devoted  himself  to  the  matter  in  hand. 

They  talked  late  and  long,  but  in  the  face  of  only 
vague  conjectures,  could  reach  no  definite  conclu- 
sion. One  thing  they  did  decide :  It  was  so  to  man- 
age matters  as  to  leave  Rogers  in  command  of  the 
schooner  when  the  captain  himself  should  be 
ashore.  Unless  Ditty  were  actually  deposed,  and  as 
yet  there  was  no  valid  excuse  for  doing  this,  the 
only  way  they  could  carry  out  this  plan  was  to  see 
that  Ditty  was  on  shore  at  the  same  time  that  the 
treasure  seekers  were. 

The  next  morning  when  the  party  was  ready  to 
start,  Captain  Hamilton  spoke  to  Ditty. 

"Mr.  Ditty,"  he  directed,  "you  will  take  ten  of 
the  men  ashore  on  leave  this  morning  in  the  long- 
boat. I  am  going  myself  with  the  crew  of  the 
smaller  boat.  Mr.  Rogers  will  remain  in  charge  of 
the  ship.  If  you  find  sweet  water,  send  back  for 
the  casks." 

Ditty  started  to  make  an  objection. 

"Beg  pardon,  sir,  but  I  don't  care  for  shore  leave 


The  Earth  Trembles  199 

myself.    Mr.  Rogers  can  go  in  my  place  if  he  wants 
to,  sir." 

"You  heard  what  I  said,  Mr.  Ditty.  Mr.  Rogers 
went  yesterday,"  said  the  captain  curtly.  "Have 
both  boats  lowered  at  once." 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  and  Ditty  yielded  a 
surly  obedience. 

"What  time  shall  I  bring  the  men  back,  sir?"  he 
asked. 

"When  I  give  you  the  signal,"  replied  the  captain. 
"Perhaps  not  till  late  afternoon.  Take  your  dinner 
grub  with  you." 

The  boats  left  the  ship's  side  together,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  both  reached  the  beach.  With  instruc- 
tions to  Ditty  to  keep  his  men  on  the  east  end  of 
the  island,  the  captain's  party  entered  the  jungle. 

They  easily  found  the  path  they  had  trodden  the 
day  before,  and  were  well  on  their  way  to  the 
whale's  hump  when  they  were  startled  by  a  queer 
vibration  of  the  earth.  There  was  no  sound  accom- 
panying it.  On  the  contrary,  everything  seemed 
hushed  in  a  deathlike  stillness.  The  cries  of  birds 
and  the  humming  of  insects  had  stopped  as  though 
by  magic.  Nature  seemed  to  be  holding  her  breath. 

Then  came  a  second  quivering  stronger  than 
the  first — a  shock  which  threw  the  four  treasure 
hunters  violently  to  the  ground. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

"IF  I  WAS  SUPERSTITIOUS — 

"WHAT  is  this?" 

"An  earthquake !" 

"The  island  is  sinking!" 

"We'll  have  to  get  out  of  this!" 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries  of  the  treasure  hunt- 
ers as  the  earth  trembled  beneath  them. 

For  perhaps  twenty  seconds  the  sickening  vibra- 
tion continued.  Then  it  stopped  as  suddenly  as  it 
had  begun.  The  swaying  trees  finished  their  dizzy 
dance,  and  the  rocks  that  had  seemed  to  be  bowing 
to  each  other  like  so  many  mummers  resumed  their 
impassive  attitudes.  Their  lawless  frolic  had 
ended ! 

Drew  had  caught  Ruth  by  the  arm  as  she  went 
down,  and  thus  had  broken  the  violence  of  her  fall. 
But  all  were  jarred  and  shaken. 

As  the  more  agile  of  the  quartet,  the  young  man 
was  first  on  his  feet.  He  tenderly  assisted  Ruth  to 
rise,  while  the  others  scrambled  up  unaided. 

"Are  you  hurt?"  Drew  asked  the  girl  solicitously. 

"Not  a  bit,"  she  answered  pluckily,  and  Drew  re- 
flected on  what  a  thoroghbred  she  was. 

The  others  also  had  sustained  no  injury.  But 
200 


"If  I  Was  Superstitious—  201 

their  forebodings  as  to  their  safety  on  the  island 
had  been  quickened  by  this  striking  example  of 
nature's  restlessness.  The  giant  in  the  volcano  was 
not  dead.  He  was  uneasy  and  had  turned  in  his 
sleep.  It  was  as  though  he  resented  the  coming 
of  these  interlopers,  and  was  giving  them  warning 
to  go  away  and  leave  him  undisturbed. 

"Now  if  I  was  superstitious,"  remarked  Tyke,  "I 
should  say  that  something  was  trying  to  keep  us 
from  getting  this  treasure." 

"Let  it  try  then,"  said  the  captain  grimly.  "We 
haven't  come  as  far  as  this  to  turn  tail  and  run  just 
when  we're  on  the  point  of  getting  what  we  came 
for." 

"Good  for  you,  Daddy!"  cried  Ruth  gaily. 
"We're  bound  to  have  that  treasure." 

They  quickened  their  steps  now.  This  was  no 
time  for  leisurely  investigation  of  the  phenomena 
of  earthquakes.  They  soon  reached  the  point  they 
had  attained  the  day  before.  But  as  they  had  ex- 
plored that  section  of  the  hillside  already,  they  did 
not  halt  there,  but  pushed  on  to  the  west. 

"Now,"  said  the  captain,  as  he  and  Drew  disbur- 
dened themselves  of  the  spades  and  mattocks  they 
had  brought  along,  carefully  wrapped  under  the 
guise  of  surveyors  instruments,  "we'll  go  at  this 
thing  in  a  scientific  way.  We'll  make  a  rough  divi- 
sion of  this  whole  section" — he  included  with  a 
wave  of  his  hand  a  space  half  a  mile  square — "into 


202  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

four  parts.  No,  three  parts.  Tyke  must  rest  his 
leg.  Then  each  must  search  his  section  to  find 
some  rocks  that  look  like  those  beauties  marked  on 
the  map." 

The  three  scattered  promptly,  and  began  the 
search.  They  looked  diligently,  but  for  a  long 
time  found  nothing  to  reward  their  efforts.  Drew 
tried  as  conscientiously  as  the  rest,  although  at 
times  he  could  not  make  his  eyes  behave,  and  his 
gaze  would  wander  over  in  Ruth's  direction.  It 
was  in  one  of  these  lapses  from  industry  that  he 
saw  her  lift  her  arm  and  wave  eagerly  in  his  direc- 
tion. He  did  not  wait  for  a  second  summons,  but 
hurried  over,  after  calling  to  the  others  to  follow. 

The  girl  was  flushed  and  excited. 

"What  have  you  found  ?"  Drew  asked,  as  soon  as 
he  got  within  speaking  distance. 

"Look!"  she  answered.  "Doesn't  that  big  rock 
over  there  seem  to  you  like  a  witch's  head — wild 
and  ragged  locks,  and  all  that?" 

From  where  he  was  then  standing,  he  could  trace 
no  resemblance,  but  when  he  reached  her  side  and 
looked  from  the  same  angle  he  raised  a  shout. 

"The  very  thing!"  he  cried.  "There  can't  be  any 
doubt  of  it." 

The  rock  in  question  stood  apart  from  the  rest 
on  the  slope  of  the  hill.  Nature  had  carved  it  in  a 
moment  of  prankishness.  There  were  all  the  fea- 
tures of  an  old  crone,  forehead,  nose,  sunken 


"If  I  Was  Superstitious "        203 

mouth,  nut-cracker  jaws,  while  small  streams  of 
lava,  hardening  as  they  had  flowed,  gave  the  simili- 
tude of  scanty  tresses. 

Tyke  and  the  captain  soon  came  up,  and  all  their 
doubts  disappeared  as  they  gazed. 

"The  Witch's  Head!"  they  agreed  exultantly. 

"With  that  to  start  with,  the  rest  will  be  easy," 
cried  Drew.  "The  Three  Sisters  can't  be  more 
than  a  few  hundred  feet  or  so  away.'' 

Ten  minutes'  further  search  revealed  a  group  of 
three  rocks,  which,  while  having  no  resemblance  to 
female  faces,  were  the  only  ones  that  stood  apart 
from  all  the  rest  as  a  trio. 

The  hands  of  the  three  men  trembled  as  they  got 
out  the  old  map  and  pored  over  it. 

"Thirty-seven  big  paces  due  north  from  the 
Witch's  Head;  eighty-nine  big  paces  due  east  from 
The  Three  Sisters,"  muttered  the  captain. 

"Paces,  even  big  paces,  is  rather  indefinite,"  com- 
mented Drew.  "If  it  were  yards  or  feet,  now,  it 
would  be  different.  But  one  man's  paces  differ 
from  another's,  and  a  short  man's  differ  from  a 
tall  man's." 

"It  was  very  inconsiderate  of  that  old  pirate  not 
to  tell  exactly  how  tall  he  was,"  jested  Ruth. 

"Well,  we  can't  have  everything  handed  to  us 
on  a  gold  plate,"  said  the  captain.  "We  may  have 
to  dig  in  a  good  many  places  before  we  strike  the 
right  spot." 


204  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Let's  do  this,"  suggested  Tyke.  "Each  one  of 
us  men  will  mark  off  the  paces,  taking  good  long 
strides,  an'  see  where  we  bring  up.  Then  we'll  mark 
off  a  big  circle  that  will  include  all  three  results. 
It's  a  moral  certainty  that  it  will  be  somewheres  in 
that  circle  if  it's  here  at  all." 

They  acted  on  this  suggestion,  Ruth,  with  pencil 
and  paper,  serving  as  scribe,  while  the  men  did  the 
pacing.  She  was  elated  at  the  part  she  had  played 
in  the  discovery. 

It  was  an  easy  enough  matter  to  make  thirty- 
seven  big  paces  from  one  point  and  eighty-nine  big 
paces  from  another,  but,  as  every  student  of  angles 
knows,  it  was  very  difficult  to  make  the  two  lines 
converge  at  the  proper  point.  But  though  their 
methods  were  rough,  they  succeeded  at  last  in  get- 
ting a  very  fair  working  hypothesis.  A  rough  cir- 
cle of  forty  feet  in  diameter  was  drawn  about  the 
stake  Drew  set  up,  and  within  that  circle  they  were 
convinced  the  treasure  lay. 

By  this  time  the  sun  had  reached  the  zenith,  and 
before  they  started  to  dig  they  retreated  to  the 
shade  in  the  edge  of  the  jungle  and  ate  their 
lunch. 

"Hadn't  you  better  wait  until  it  gets  a  little  cooler 
by  and  by?"  asked  Ruth  anxiously.  "It  will  be 
frightful  under  this  hot  sun.  This  is  the  hour  of 
siesta." 

"I  guess  we're  too  impatient  for  that,"  answered 


"If  I  Was  Superstitious—  205 

her  father.  "But  we'll  work  only  a  few  minutes  at 
a  time  and  take  long  resting  spells  between." 

Fortunately  the  ground  was  moderately  soft 
within  the  circle,  and  their  spades  sank  deep  with 
every  thrust.  Tyke  was  not  allowed  to  share  in 
this  work  of  excavation,  much  to  his  disgust.  As 
for  Drew  and  Captain  Hamilton,  their  muscular 
arms  worked  like  machines,  and  they  soon  had 
great  mounds  of  earth  piled  around  their  respective 
pits. 

But  fortune  failed  to  reward  their  efforts.  One 
place  after  another  was  abandoned  as  hopeless. 

They  were  toiling  away  with  the  perspiration 
dripping  from  them,  when  Drew  was  startled  by  a 
cry  from  Ruth.  He  leaped  instantly  out  of  his  ex- 
cavation, and  ran  to  her.  Ruth  was  standing  in  the 
shade  of  the  jungle's  edge;  but  she  was  staring 
across  the  barren  hillside  toward  the  west. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  the  young  man.  "What 
do  you  see?" 

"I — I  don't  know.  I'm  not  sure  I  saw  anything," 
she  admitted.  "And  yet " 

"Some  of  the  seamen?"  demanded  Drew.  "I've 
been  expecting  that,  though  your  father  is  so  sure 
that  Ditty  and  his  gang  will  remain  at  the  eastern 
end  of  the  island.'' 

"Oh,  Allen !  Not  Ditty !  Not  one  of  the  sailors ! 
I — I  could  almost  believe  in — in  ghosts,"  and  she 
tried  to  laugh. 


206  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"What  is  it,  my  dear?''  asked  Tyke,  who  had 
come  over.  ''What's  happened?  Did  you  see  some- 
thing?" 

"Yes.  It  moved.  It  was  there,  and  then  it 
wasn't  there.  The  space  it  stood  in  was  empty," 
said  the  girl  earnestly. 

"For  the  love  o'  goodness !"  cried  Tyke,  mopping 
his  brow.  "You've  got  me  all  stirred  up.  Now, 
if  I  was  superstitious " 

"You  will  be  if  I  tell  you  more  about  that — that 
thing,"  Ruth  said.  She  said  it  jokingly,  and  Tyke 
turned  away,  going  over  to  where  Captain  Hamil- 
ton was  still  at  work. 

"It  must  have  been  the  spirit  of  the  old  pirate 
come  back  to  guard  his  hoard,"  Drew  said  lightly. 

Ruth  looked  at  him  very  oddly. 

"What  do  you  think?"  she  whispered,  when  Tyke 
was  out  of  hearing.  "Why  should  the  ghost  of 
Ramon  Alvarez  look  so  much  like  Mr.  Parmalee?" 

Drew  paled,  and  then  flushed. 

"Do  you  mean  that,  Ruth?"  he  asked,  and  he 
could  not  keep  his  voice  from  trembling. 

"Yes,"  she  said.  Then  she  flashed  him  a  sudden 
smile.  "Of  course,  it  was  merely  an  hallucination. 

But,  'if  I  was  superstitious '  "  and  she  quoted 

Tyke  with  a  look  which  she  tried  to  make  merry. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

BURIED   ALIVE 

RUTH  pointed  out  to  Drew  exactly  where  the  fig- 
ure that  had  so  startled  her  had  stood.  It  was  down 
the  slope  of  the  hill  to  the  westward,  and  directly 
between  two  lava  boulders  at  the  edge  of  the  jungle. 

The  figure — man,  apparition,  what  or  whoever 
it  was — had  lingered  in  sight  but  a  moment. 

Before  returning  to  work  in  his  excavation, 
Drew  went  down  to  the  spot  Ruth  had  pointed  out. 
There  was  not  a  sign  of  anybody  having  been  there. 
The  earth  between  the  huge  lumps  of  lava  seemed 
not  to  have  been  disturbed.  He  could  find  no  bro- 
ken twigs  or  torn  vines  at  the  edge  of  the  jungle. 

"She  dreamed  it — that's  all,"  muttered  Drew. 
"Poor  Parmalee!" 

He  thought  of  the  man  whose  tragic  end  was  so 
linked  with  his  own  existence — of  the  body  buffeted 
by  the  waves  somewhere  in  the  blue  expanse  that 
stretched  easterly  from  this  little  island. 

Of  what  use  would  the  pirate  treasure,  if  they 
found  it,  be  to  Allen  Drew  ?  This  bitter  query  ob- 
sessed him.  He  would  gladly  give  every  coin  and 
jewel  Ramon  Alvaraz  had  buried  here,  were  it  his 
to  give,  to  see  Parmalee,  leaning  on  his  cane,  walk 
out  of  the  jungle. 

207 


208  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

He  was  so  lost  in  these  gloomy  musings  that  he 
started  when  he  felt  a  light  touch  on  his  arm. 

He  looked  up  to  find  Ruth  standing  beside  him. 

"Did  you  find  any  trace  of  him,  Allen?"  she 
asked,  in  a  voice  from  which  the  tremor  had  not 
entirely  gone. 

"Not  the  slightest  sign,"  he  answered.  "The 
man  or  thing,  whatever  it  was,  seems  to  have  van- 
ished into  thin  air." 

"It  must  have  been  mere  fancy,"  she  murmured, 
though  without  conviction. 

"Our  nerves  play  strange  tricks  sometimes," 
Drew  rejoined  lightly.  "We  are  all  of  us  in  such 
an  excited  state  just  now  that  anything  may 
happen." 

"I've  always  felt  that  nerves  had  been  left  out 
of  my  composition,"  said  Ruth,  smiling  faintly. 
"But  when  it  comes  to  the  pinch,  I  suppose  I'm 
just  as  liable  to  them  as  any  one  else." 

"No,  you're  not,"  denied  Allen  Drew  warmly. 
"You're  the  most  perfect  thoroughbred  of  any 
woman  I  ever  knew." 

"Perhaps  your  experience  has  been  limited,"  she 
suggested,  with  a  flash  of  her  old  mischief. 

"I'm  perfectly  willing  it  should  be  limited  from 
this  time  on  to  just  one  woman,"  he  was  on  the 
point  of  saying,  but  bit  his  lip  just  in  time. 

"It  is  strange  that  this  apparition,  for  want  of 
a  better  name,  should  have  taken  the  form  of 


Buried  Alive  209 

Parmalee,"  he  continued,  his  jealousy  in  spite  of 
himself  taking  possession  of  him.  "Perhaps  you 
were  thinking  of  him,  just  then,"  he  hazarded. 

"Not  at  all,"  returned  Ruth  frankly.  "Just  at 
that  moment  I'm  afraid  my  mind  was  fixed  on  noth- 
ing else  but  the  hunt  for  the  pirate's  treasure." 

Drew  felt  somewhat  reassured  by  this,  and  they 
had  turned  to  retrace  their  steps  when  he  suddenly 
stood  stock  still. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Ruth  in  some  alarm. 

"I  thought  I  saw  an  opening  in  the  side  of  the 
mountain  over  there,"  he  replied.  "Perhaps  the 
ghost,  or  whatever  it  was,  is  hiding  in  that,"  he 
added  jestingly.  "At  any  rate  I'm  going  to  take 
a  minute  and  see  what  it  is." 

He  made  a  step  in  the  direction  he  had  indicated. 
Ruth  sought  to  restrain  him. 

"Don't  you  think  you  had  better  call  my  father 
and  Mr.  Grimshaw  before  you  venture  in  there?" 
she  asked.  "You  don't  know  what  may  be  lurking 
there." 

"Nonsense,"  laughed  the  man  lightly.  "They'd 
only  be  vexed  at  being  interrupted  in  their  digging. 
At  any  rate  they're  within  easy  call — if  there  should 
be  any  need  of  them." 

Ruth  was  silenced  though  only  half  convinced. 
Together  they  went  over  to  a  gaping  rent  in  the 
side  of  the  hill. 

As  a  matter  of  precaution,  Drew  had  taken  his 


210  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

revolver  from  his  belt  and  held  it  ready  in  his  hand. 
He  had  really  no  expectation  of  meeting  anything 
hostile  in  human  shape  and  he  did  not  believe  that 
any  animal  that  would  be  at  all  formidable  ranged 
the  island. 

"If  it's  a  ghost,  I  don't  suppose  this  revolver 
would  do  any  good,"  he  joked,  more  to  relieve 
Ruth's  uneasiness  than  any  that  he  felt  himself. 
"At  the  very  least  I'd  have  to  have  a  silver  bullet 
or  one  that  had  been  dipped  in  the  river  Jordan." 

The  opening  before  which  they  stood  was  irregu- 
lar in  shape  and  seemed  to  have  been  made  by  one 
of  the  convulsions  of  nature  that  apparently  were 
so  common  to  tlje  island.  It  was,  roughly  speaking, 
about  four  feet  wide  and  nine  high,  and  from  the 
glimpse  they  got  into  its  depths  seemed  to  widen 
out  in  the  interior.  There  was  nothing  about  it  to 
speak  of  human  occupancy  and  the  ground  leading 
to  it  bore  no  marks  of  footprints.  Nor  were  there 
any  bones  scattered  about  that  might  indicate  that 
it  was  the  lair  of  wild  beasts. 

Drew  cupped  his  hands  to  his  mouth  and  sent 
forth  a  ringing  call. 

"Hello,  in  there !"  he  shouted. 

There  was  no  answer,  but  the  reverberations  of 
his  own  voice  that  came  back  to  him  seemed  to  show 
that  the  cave  extended  inward  to  a  considerable 
depth. 

"Hello!"  he  shouted  again.    "If  there's  any  one 


Buried  Alive  211 

in  there,  come  out!  We're  friends  and  won't  hurt 
you." 

Again  there  was  no  answer. 

"Doesn't  seem  to  be  sociably  inclined,"  muttered 
Allen  grimly. 

"I  guess  there's  nobody  there,"  said  Ruth. 
"Let's  go  back  to  the  others,  Allen.  We've  spent  too 
much  time  already  on  this  foolish  notion  of  mine." 

"It  wasn't  foolish  at  all,"  protested  Drew.  "As 
a  matter  of  fact  it  may  prove  to  be  of  the  greatest 
importance.  We  ought  to  sift  the  matter  to  the  bot- 
tom. If  there's  anybody  on  this  island  we  don't 
know  about,  it  ought  to  be  our  first  business  to  find 
out.  I  think  I'll  take  a  peep  into  this  mysterious 
cave." 

He  made  a  step  forward,  but  Ruth's  hand  tight- 
ened on  his  arm  and  he  stopped. 

"Do  you  think  you'd  better  risk  it,  Allen?"  she 
asked.  "How  do  you  know  what  may  be  in  there. 
Suppose — suppose ' ' 

"Suppose  what?"  he  asked  with  a  whimsical 
smile. 

"Suppose  anything  should  happen  to  you?"  she 
half  whispered. 

"Nothing  will  happen  to  me,"  he  rejoined.  "Not 
that  it  matters  much  anyway,"  he  added  bitterly, 
as  the  thought  swept  over  him  of  the  black  cloud 
of  suspicion  that  hung  above  him. 

"Just  give  me  a  minute,  Ruth"  he  pleaded,  hating 


212  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

himself  for  his  reckless  words  as  he  saw  the  pained 
look  in  her  eyes.  "I  won't  go  in  for  more  than 
twenty  or  thirty  feet,  just  to  see  if  there's  anything 
about  this  place  that  we  really  ought  to  know.  You 
stay  here  and  I'll  be  back  before  you  fairly  know 
I've  gone." 

She  reluctantly  loosened  her  grasp  of  his  arm  and 
he  plunged  forward  into  the  darkness. 

For  the  first  ten  feet  or  so,  the  going  was  ren- 
dered rather  difficult  by  projecting  bits  of  rock  that 
caught  at  his  clothes  and  impeded  his  progress. 
But  then  the  passage  widened  out  steadily  until  he 
could  not  feel  the  sides  even  when  his  arms  were 
stretched  to  their  utmost  limit. 

The  light  that  had  followed  him  from  the  small 
entrance  finally  vanished,  and  he  went  forward  with 
the  utmost  caution,  carefully  planting  each  foot  for 
the  next  step.  At  any  moment,  for  all  he  knew,  he 
might  find  himself  on  the  brink  of  a  precipice. 

"Black  as  Egypt  in  here/'  he  muttered  to  him- 
self, as  he  felt  for  the  matches  he  carried  in  an 
oilskin  bag  in  the  pocket  of  his  coat.  "I  guess  I'd 
better  strike  a " 

But  he  never  finished  the  sentence. 

A  deafening  roar  resounded  through  the  cavern 
and  he  was  thrown  violently  forward  on  his  hands 
and  knees.  Again  came  that  dizzy,  sickening  shak- 
ing of  the  earth,  that  nauseating  sense  of  being 
lifted  to  a  height  and  suddenly  let  fall,  that  squirm- 


Buried  Alive  213 

ing  of  the  ground  beneath  him  as  though  it  were 
a  gigantic  reptile. 

His  earlier  experience  in  the  open  air  had  been 
bad  enough,  but  there  at  least  he  had  had  the  sense 
of  space  and  sunlight  and  companionship.  Here  in 
the  darkness  and  confinement  the  horrors  of  the 
earthquake  were  multiplied. 

For  more  than  a  minute,  which  seemed  to  him  an 
hour,  the  convulsions  of  the  earth  continued.  Then 
they  gradually  subsided,  though  it  was  some  min- 
utes later  before  the  quivering  finally  ceased. 

Dazed  and  bewildered,  Allen  Drew  scrambled  to 
his  feet.  His  hands  were  scraped  and  bleeding, 
though  he  thought  little  of  this  in  his  mental  per- 
turbation. 

His  thought  turned  instantly  to  Ruth.  What 
might  have  happened  to  her  while  he  was  away 
from  her?  The  trees  were  thick  near  the  mouth 
of  the  cave.  Suppose  one  had  fallen  and  caught 
her  before  she  could  escape? 

He  started  to  rush  back  to  the  entrance,  but  to 
his  astonishment,  could  see  no  trace  of  the  light 
that  had  marked  the  place  where  the  opening  had 
been. 

He  stopped  short,  puzzled  and  alarmed. 

"That's  queer,"  he  muttered.  "I  guess  that  jar 
I  got  has  turned  me  around.  It  must  be  in  the 
other  direction." 

He  hastily  retraced  his  steps.     But  as  the  cave 


214  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

grew  wider  and  he  found  no  sign  of  the  narrow 
passage  by  which  he  had  entered,  he  knew  that  he 
was  wrong. 

"Must  have  had  it  right  the  first  time/'  he 
thought,  "but  it's  strange  that  I  didn't  see  any  light'. 
Perhaps  there  was  a  bend  in  the  passage  that  I 
hadn't  noticed." 

Again  he  went  back,  feeling  his  way.  The  path 
narrowed  and  his  outstretched  hand  came  in  con- 
tact with  a  shred  of  cloth  that  had  been  torn  from 
his  coat  when  he  had  entered.  This  was  proof  posi- 
tive that  he  was  on  the  right  track.  But  where 
then  was  the  light? 

The  answer  came  to  him  with  startling  sudden- 
ness when  he  plunged  violently  into  a  mass  of  earth 
and  rock  that  barred  his  way. 

The  entrance  to  the  cave  Jtad  vanished! 

In  its  place  was  a  vast  mass  of  earth,  a  slice  of 
the  mountain  side  that  had  been  torn  loose  by  that 
last  mighty  writhing  of  tortured  nature  and  that 
now  held  him  as  securely  a  prisoner  as  though  he 
were  in  the  center  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

A  DESPERATE  SITUATION 

MECHANICALLY,  Drew  took  his  handkerchief 
from  his  pocket  and  wiped  the  cold  sweat  from  his 
brow.  He  tried  to  steady  his  reeling  brain  and 
bring  some  semblance  of  order  into  his  thoughts. 

This  then  was  the  end!  Trapped  like  a  rat  in  a 
cage,  shut  out  forever  from  the  world  of  men, 
doomed  to  die  miserably  and  hopelessly, — sealed  in 
a  tomb  while  yet  alive ! 

All  the  dreams  he  had  cherished,  all  the  hopes  he 
had  nourished,  all  the  future  he  had  planned — 
planned  with  Ruth 

Ruth! 

The  thought  of  her  wrung  his  soul  with  anguish, 
but  it  also  woke  him  from  his  torpor. 

He  would  see  her  again!  He  would  not  sur- 
render! He  would  not  die!  Not  while  a  breath 
remained  in  his  body  would  he  give  in  to  despair. 
There  must  be  some  way  out.  Fate  would  not  be 
so  cruel  as  to  carry  its  ghastly  joke  to  the  very  end. 
He  would  call  on  all  his  resources.  He  would 
struggle,  fight,  never  give  up  for  a  moment. 

His  brain  cleared  and  he  took  a  grip  on  himself. 
The  blood  once  more  ran  hot  in  his  veins.  His 

215 


216  Doubloons-and  The  Girl 

youth  and  manhood  asserted  themselves  in  daunt- 
less vigor  and  determination. 

The  first  thing  to  do  was  to  attack  the  wall  of 
fresh  dirt  and  rock  that  hemmed  him  in.  Perhaps 
it  was  less  thick  than  it  seemed.  He  had  no  imple- 
ment to  help  him;  but  his  muscular  arms  and  pow- 
erful hands  might  suffice  to  dig  a  way  to  freedom. 

He  sought  to  fortify  himself  by  calling  to  mind 
all  that  he  had  ever  read  about  prisoners  digging 
their  way  to  freedom.  Their  cases  had  seemed  des- 
perate, but  often  they  had  succeeded.  He  too  would 
succeed — he  must  succeed.  Ruth  was  outside  wait- 
ing for  him,  working  for  him,  praying  for  him. 

He  set  to  work  with  a  dogged  resolution  and 
fierce  energy  that  soon  had  the  perspiration  flowing 
from  him  in  streams.  Behind  him  the  dirt  and 
debris  piled  up  in  a  rapidly  growing  mound.  His 
hands  and  nails  were  torn,  but  his  excitement  and 
absorption  were  so  great  that  no  sensation  of  physi- 
cal pain  was  conveyed  to  his  overwrought  brain. 

At  times  he  stopped  to  rest  a  moment  and  to  lis- 
ten for  the  stroke  of  pick  or  shovel  from  the  oppo- 
site side  of  his  living  grave.  But  no  sound  came  to 
him.  He  seemed  to  be  in  a  soundless  universe  ex- 
cept for  the  rasp  of  his  own  labored  breathing. 

It  was  after  one  of  these  intervals  of  listening 
that  he  was  about  to  resume  his  frenzied  efforts 
when  he  thought  he  heard  a  slight  sound  in  the  cave 
behind  him. 


A  Desperate  Situation  217 

His  heart  seemed  to  stand  still  for  a  moment 
while  he  strained  his  ears. 

There  was  no  mistake.  Some  living  thing  was 
in  the  cave  besides  himself! 

Instinctively,  his  hand  gripped  the  butt  of  his 
revolver.  Then  with  a  bitter  smile  he  put  it  back 
in  its  place.  Why  should  he  hurt  or  kill  anything 
that  was  alive  ?  Death  seemed  sure  enough  for  any 
occupant  of  that  cave. 

He  went  back  stealthily  until  he  reached  the 
wider  part  of  the  cave,  where  he  had  been  when  the 
shock  came  that  had  entombed  him. 

Again  that  faint  sound,  undeniably  human,  came 
to  his  ears.  Pacing  cautiously  in  the  direction  from 
which  it  came,  his  foot  struck  against  something 
soft.  He  reached  down  and  his  hand  came  in  con- 
tact with  a  woman's  dress. 

In  an  instant  he  had  gathered  the  yielding  form 
in  his  arms. 

''Ruth!"  he  shouted. 

"Allen!"  came  back  faintly  from  her  parted  lips. 

For  an  instant  everything  reeled  about  Drew  and 
his  mind  was  awhirl.  Then  he  laid  his  burden 
down  and  fell  frantically  to  rubbing  her  hands.  In- 
coherent cries  came  from  his  lips  as  he  sought  to 
restore  her  to  complete  consciousness. 

His  vigorous  efforts  were  rewarded  a  few 
moments  later  when  Ruth  stirred  and  tried  to  sit 
up. 


218  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"I  must  have  fainted,"  she  said;  "or  perhaps  I 
struck  my  head  against  the  side  of  the  cave  when 
the  shock  came." 

"Don't  try  to  talk  yet,"  said  Drew.  "Just  lie 
still  a  few  minutes  till  you  are  stronger." 

She  obeyed,  while  he  sat  beside  her  holding  her 
hand. 

"I  can  sit  up  now,"  she  said  after  a  few  minutes. 
"My  head  is  perfectly  clear  again." 

"Are  you  sure  you  didn't  hurt  yourself  when 
you  fell?" 

"I  think  not,"  she  answered,  as  she  passed  her 
hand  over  her  hair.  "My  head  doesn't  seem  to  be 
bruised  or  bleeding  anywhere.  It  must  have  been 
the  shock." 

"Thank  God  it  was  nothing  worse !"  returned 
Drew  fervently.  "But  tell  me  how  you  happened 
to  be  here.  It  seems  like  a  miracle.  The  whole 
thing  staggers  me.  I  thought  I  left  you  outside  of 
the  cave  when  I  went  in." 

"So  you  did,"  she  assented  with  a  touch  of  her 
old  demureness,  "but  that  doesn't  say  that  I  stayed 
there." 

"I  see  it  doesn't,"  he  replied.  "But  why  didn't 
you?" 

"I  guess  it's  because  I'm  not  used  to  obeying 
anybody  except  my  father,"  she  answered  evasively. 

"Tell  me  the  real  reason." 

"Well,"  she  said,  driven  to  bay,  "I  was  afraid 


A  Desperate  Situation  219 

there  might  be  something  dangerous  in  here  and — 
and — I  didn't  want  you  to  have  to  face  it  alone — 
and" — here  she  paused. 

Drew's  heart  beat  wildly. 

"And  so  you  came  in  to  stand  by  my  side,"  he 
said  with  emotion.  "Ruth,  Ruth " 

"But  now,"  said  Ruth  hastily,  following  up  her 
advantage,  "we  must  hurry  and  get  back  to  the 
others.  Father  will  begin  to  worry  about  me." 

Anguish  smote  Drew.  Ruth  had  evidently  not 
the  slightest  idea  that  anything  stood  between  her 
and  freedom.  How  could  he  break  the  dreadful 
news  to  her  ?  He  felt  like  an  executioner  compelled 
by  some  awful  fate  to  slay  the  one  he  loved  most 
dearly. 

"You  mustn't  look  at  me  after  we  get  outside 
until  I've  had  a  chance  to  arrange  my  hair," 
she  warned  him  gaily.  "I  must  look  a  perfect 
fright." 

Every  innocent  word  was  a  stab  that  went 
straight  to  the  man's  heart. 

His  mind  was  a  tumult  of  warring  emotions.  At 
first  there  had  been  a  wild  delight  when  he  had 
found  himself  in  the  presence  of  his  heart's  desire, 
after  he  feared  that  he  would  never  hear  her  voice 
again.  In  the  excitement  of  bringing  her  back  to 
consciousness  and  listening  to  her  story,  the  fearful 
peril  in  which  they  stood  had  been  relegated  to  the 
background.  Now  it  came  back  at  him  with  re- 


220  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

doubled  force,  and  he  had  to  close  his  lips  tightly 
to  suppress  a  groan. 

He  could  have  died  alone,  if  escape  had  proved 
impossible,  and  met  death  like  a  man.  But  to  have 
to  watch  Ruth  die — die  perhaps  after  enduring  un- 
speakable suffering — the  mere  thought  threatened 
to  drive  him  mad. 

And  she  was  here  because  she  had  feared  that 
he  might  encounter  danger  and  wanted  to  meet  it 
at  his  side  when  it  came.  But  for  that  courageous 
impulse,  she  might  at  this  moment  be  safe  and 
sound  out  under  the  open  sky  instead  of  being 
buried  alive  in  this  island  tomb. 

Moreover  her  very  presence  here  made  their  dan- 
ger all  the  greater.  There  was  little  chance  now  of 
help  coming  to  them  from  the  outside.  No  doubt 
Tyke  and  Captain  Hamilton  would  grow  uneasy 
at  their  absence  and  look  them  up — probably  they 
were  hunting  for  them  now.  But  they  did  not  know 
of  the  existence  of  the  cave,  and  now  that  the  en- 
trance was  closed  there  was  not  the  slightest  chance 
of  finding  them.  They  would  explore  the  moun- 
tain side,  search  every  foot  of  the  island,  but  their 
quest  would  be  doomed  to  failure  from  the  be- 
ginning. 

While  these  thoughts  had  been  hurrying  through 
his  tortured  brain,  Ruth  had  arranged  her  disor- 
'dered  hair  as  best  she  could  in  the  darkness  and 
stood  ready  to  go. 


A  Desperate  Situation  221 

"Well,  Allen,  what  are  we  waiting  for?"  she 
asked.  "You  men  are  always  complaining  that  the 
girls  keep  you  waiting,  but  this  time  you're  the 
guilty  one." 

He  tried  to  adopt  her  bantering  mood,  but  failed 
miserably. 

"I'll  have  to  throw  myself  on  your  mercy,"  he 
said.  "But  wait  here  a  moment,  Ruth,  till  I  see  if 
the  path  is  clear." 

Even  in  the  darkness,  he  was  almost  conscious 
that  she  looked  at  him  in  surprise.  But  he  needed 
time  to  get  his  thoughts  together  and  decide  on  the 
easiest  way  of  breaking  the  terrible  news  that 
weighed  on  his  heart. 

He  cudgeled  his  brain  to  find  the  gentlest,  most 
reassuring  phrases  that  would  alarm  her  least  and 
keep  up  her  courage.  But  there  was  the  stark,  hid- 
eous fact  that  could  not  be  blinked  or  dodged,  and 
when  at  last  his  lagging  steps  returned,  he  was  no 
nearer  a  solution  of  his  problem  than  before. 

"I  declare  you  sound  like  Tyke  coming  along 
the  passage,"  Ruth  laughed  merrily.  "They  say  bad 
news  travels  fast.  So  your  news  must  be  good,  or 
you  wouldn't  be  coming  so  slowly." 

"I  only  wish  you  were  right,"  he  said,  grasping  at 
the  opening.  "But  to  tell  the  truth  my  news  isn't 
any  too  good.  Oh,  nothing  to  be  alarmed  about," 
he  added  hastily,  as  he  caught  her  stifled  exclama- 
tion. "A  little  loose  earth  seems  to  have  come  down 


222  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

the  slope  of  the  hill  and  blocked  up  the  entrance. 
I'll  get  to  work  at  it  and  clear  it  out  in  a  jiffy." 

He  tried  to  throw  a  world  of  confidence  into  his 
tone,  but  it  failed  to  ring  true.  In  the  darkness  he 
heard  Ruth  catch  her  breath. 

"Let's  go  and  see  just  how  bad  it  is,"  was  all  she 
said,  and  Drew  with  a  chill  in  his  heart,  led  the  way. 

"What  is  this  dirt  in  here?"  asked  Ruth,  as  she 
stumbled  over  a  mound  that  Allen  had  thrown  be- 
hind him  in  his  frantic  digging. 

"Oh,  that's  some  that  I've  dug  out  already,"  Al- 
len replied  with  assumed  carelessness.  "I  just 
wanted  to  find  out  how  hard  the  dirt  was  and 
whether  it  would  give  way  easily.  It's  fresh  and 
soft  and  we'll  get  the  whole  lot  out  of  our  way  in 
no  time." 

He  was  about  to  start  in  again  at  the  task  when 
Ruth  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm. 

"You  didn't  dig  all  this  out  in  that  minute  you 
were  away  from  me  just  now,"  she  said  quietly. 
"You  must  have  been  working  while  I  lay  in  there 
unconcious.  Come  now,  Allen,  tell  me  the  whole 
truth.  Remember  that  I  am  a  sailor's  daughter  and 
am  not  afraid  to  face  things,  no  matter  how  bad 
they  may  be.  The  cave  entrance  is  badly  blocked 
up,  isn't  it?" 

"God  bless  your  staunch,  plucky  heart,  Ruth/' 
blurted  out  Drew,  his  own  heart  kindling  at  her 
courage.  "You're  one  woman  in  a  thousand,  yes, 


A  Desperate  Situation  223 

in  a  million.  I  might  have  known  you'd  face  the 
truth  without  weeping  or  hysterics.  You're  right 
about  the  landfall.  I'm  afraid  it's  a  heavy  one. 
I've  been  digging  at  it  for  some  time  without  mak- 
ing much  impression.  But  after  all  it's  all  guess- 
work and  it  may  not  be  so  thick  as  it  seems  to  be. 
We  may  let  daylight  through  at  any  minute.  At 
any  rate  I'm  going  at  it  like  a  tiger.  I  worked  hard 
before  when  I  thought  I  was  alone,  but  now  that 
I've  got  you  to  look  out  for  I'll  do  ten  times  as 
much.  I've  only  begun  to  fight.  We're  just  going 
to  get  out  of  this  and  that's  all  there  is  about  it." 

"And  I'll  help  you,"  cried  Ruth. 

"Not  with  those  little  hands,"  replied  the  man 
vehemently.  "You  just  stand  back  there  and  pray 
while  I  do  the  work." 

"Those  little  hands,  as  you  call  them,  are  stronger 
than  you  think.  I'm  going  to  work  with  all  my 
might  and  help  you  out.  And  that  won't  keep  me 
from  praying  either.  I  guess  the  cave  women  used 
to  work  and  fight  just  about  as  much  as  the 
men,  and  I'm  a  cave  woman  now  if  I  never  was 
before." 

Again  Drew  sought  to  deter  her,  but  she  was  de- 
termined and  he  had  to  let  her  have  her  way.  The 
only  concession  he  could  gain  was  to  make  her  put 
on  a  pair  of  buckskin  gloves  that  dangled  at  his 
belt.  They  were  woefully  large  for  her  shapely 
hands  and  at  any  other  time  would  have  furnished 


224  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

i 

a  subject  for  jesting.  But  nothing  now  was  fur- 
ther from  their  minds  than  laughter.  They  were 
engaged  on  a  grim  work  of  life  or  death  and  both 
of  them  knew  it. 

But  though  brave,  there  was  a  limit  to  Ruth's 
physical  strength,  and  under  such  strenuous  and 
unaccustomed  effort  it  was  not  long  before  that 
limit  was  reached.  Drew  discerned  it  coming  be- 
fore Ruth  herself  would  admit  it. 

He  took  her  gently  but  firmly  by  both  wrists 
and  fairly  compelled  her  to  sit  down  on  one  of 
the  mounds,  where  he  improvised  a  seat  that  en- 
abled her  to  rest  her  back  against  one  side  of  the 
cave.  Then  he  returned  to  the  work  with  re- 
doubled vigor,  tossing  the  dirt  aside  as  though  he 
were  a  tireless  steam  shovel. 

But  though  Ruth's  body  was  resting,  her  mind 
was  working  actively,  darting  hither  and  thither  in 
an  effort  to  find  a  way  of  escape  from  their  fearful 
predicament. 

"Allen,"  she  said,  as  he  stopped  for  an  instant 
to  rest,  "come  here  and  sit  down  beside  me." 

He  had  never  hesitated  before  at  accepting  that 
coveted  invitation,  but  just  now  he  wondered 
whether  he  ought  to  stop  even  for  an  instant.  His 
herculean  efforts  had  brought  him  to  the  very  edge 
of  collapse,  but  he  was  feverishly  eager  to  keep  on. 

"Ought  I,  Ruth?"  he  questioned.  "Every  minute 
now  is  precious,  you  know." 


A  Desperate  Situation  225 

"I  know  it,"  she  admitted,  "but  you'll  drop  dead 
from  exhaustion  if  you  don't  stop  and  rest.  You 
must  rest." 

The  gentle  tyrant  had  her  way  and  Drew  yielded. 
He  sat  down  beside  her,  his  chest  contracting  and 
expanding  under  the  stress  of  his  labored  breathing. 

"Poor  boy!"  she  said  softly,  and  Drew  thrilled 
at  the  sympathy  in  her  tone. 

"I've  been  thinking,  Allen,  that  perhaps  we  had 
better  not  rely  entirely  on  your  digging  for  getting 
out  of  here,"  she  continued.  "It's  all  a  guess  as  to 
how  thick  that  wall  of  earth  and  rock  is,  and  we 
may  be  using  on  it  the  strength  that  we  need  for 
other  things.  If  you  had  an  implement  of  some 
kind  it  would  be  different.  But  with  your  bare 
hands  together  with  what  little  help  I  can  give  you 
it  may  be  impossible." 

"Yes,"  he  was  forced  to  concede,  "I  can't  go  on 
forever.  Sooner  or  later  my  strength  will  give  out. 
But  what  can  we  do  but  keep  on  trying?  I'd  go 
raving  mad  if  I  didn't  keep  on  taking  the  one  little 
chance  we  have." 

"But  is  it  the  only  chance  we  have  ?"  she  argued. 
"Did  you  bring  your  revolver  with  you  ?" 

For  answer  he  took  it  out  of  his  belt  and  put  it 
in  her  hand. 

"Have  you  any  extra  cartridges?"  she  asked. 

"Not  a  single  one,  but  the  revolver  itself  is  fully 
loaded.  That's  just  six  we  have  to  count  on." 


226  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

She  was  silent  for  a  moment. 

"There  isn't  any  likelihood  we'll  have  to  use 
these  for  defending  ourselves,"  she  said  at  length. 
"There  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  living  thing  in  this 
cave  of  which  we  need  to  be  afraid.  But,  neverthe- 
less, suppose  we  keep  two  for  emergencies.  That 
would  give  us  four  to  experiment  with, wouldn't  it?" 

"Experiment?     How?"  he  inquired. 

"I  was  thinking  that  perhaps  father" — here  her 
voice  faltered  a  little — "and  Tyke  might  be  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  hunting  for  us.  If  we 
should  discharge  the  revolver  they  might  possibly 
hear  one  or  more  of  the  shots  and  get  some  idea  of 
where  we  were.  I  know  it's  only  a  forlorn  hope, 
but  we've  got  to  try  everything  just  now." 

"It's  a  good  idea!"  exclaimed  Drew,  though  he 
knew  in  his  heart  how  slender  a  chance  it  offered. 
"And  in  the  meantime,  I'll  keep  on  digging,  so  that 
if  the  shots  aren't  heard  we  won't  be  any  worse 
off  anyway.  You  fire  the  four  shots  at  intervals  of 
a  minute  or  two  and  we'll  see  what  happens." 

He  went  savagely  to  work  again  and  Ruth  at 
short  intervals  discharged  the  revolver.  The  noise 
and  the  echoes  in  that  compressed  space  were  deaf- 
ening and  it  certainly  seemed  as  though  the  sound 
ought  to  penetrate  to  the  world  outside. 

But  though  they  fairly  held  their  breath  as  they 
listened  for  a  response,  no  answering  sound  pene- 
trated from  the  outside  into  the  cavern,  and  their 


A  Desperate  Situation  227 

hearts  sank  as  they  realized  that  one  more  of  their 
few  hopes  had  failed  them. 

"It's  of  no  use,"  observed  Ruth  sadly,  as  she 
handed  the  weapon  back  to  Allen.  "Either  they 
didn't  hear  the  shots,  or,  if  they  did,  they  thought 
it  was  some  sound  made  by  the  volcano.  We'll  have 
to  try  something  else." 

Both  were  silent  for  a  few  moments,  immersed  in 
bitter  thoughts  that  were  as  black  as  the  darkness 
that  surrounded  them. 

"Can  you  ever  forgive  me,  Ruth,  for  having 
gotten  you  into  such  a  trap  as  this?"  he  burst  out 
suddenly. 

"You  didn't  get  me  in  it,''  protested  Ruth.  "I 
came  in  of  my  own  accord." 

"I  don't  mean  that,"  explained  Drew.  "But  you 
tried  to  persuade  me  not  to  enter  the  cave  in  the 
first  place,  and  if  I'd  only  had  sense  enough  to  lis- 
ten to  you,  we'd  both  of  us  be  out  in  the  sunlight 
at  this  minute.  Headstrong  fool  that  I  was!"  he 
ended  in  an  agony  of  self  condemnation. 

"Now  don't  blame  yourself  a  bit  for  that,  Allen," 
said  Ruth  earnestly.  "You  only  did  what  you 
thought  you  ought  to  do,  and  ninety-nine  times 
out  of  a  hundred  no  harm  would  have  come  of  it." 

"And  it  was  our  luck  to  strike  the  hundredth 
time,"  replied  Drew  bitterly. 

"Besides,"  said  Ruth  with  a  trifle  of  hesitation, 
"I  think  I'd  have  been  a  little  disappointed  at  the 


228  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

time  if  you  had  done  as  I  asked.  I'd  have  felt 
that  perhaps  in  your  secret  heart  you  did  it  appar- 
ently to  please  me,  but  really  because  you  were 
glad  enough  not  to  have  to  take  any  chances  of 
what  you  might  meet  in  here." 

Drew  was  somewhat  puzzled  at  this  bit  of  femi- 
nine psychology,  but  he  gathered  some  comfort 
from  it,  and  this  was  perhaps  after  all  the  result 
that  Ruth  was  seeking. 

"Do  you  notice,  Allen,  how  fresh  the  air  seems 
to  be  in  here?"  she  asked. 

"I've  been  wondering  at  that,"  he  answered.  "To 
tell  the  truth  my  worst  fear  has  been  that  it  would 
get  too  close  and  foul  for  us  to  breathe.  But  it 
seems  to  be  just  as  sweet  now  as  it  was  at  the 
beginning." 

"What  do  you  suppose  is  the  reason?" 

"It  must  be  that  the  cave  is  a  little  larger  than  it 
seems  to  be.  It  seemed  to  be  getting  bigger  and 
bigger  as  I  went  further  into  it.  If  that  is  so,  it 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  the  air  supply  has  not  yet 
begun  to  be  vitiated." 

"But  mayn't  there  be  any  other  reason?"  she 
asked. 

"I  can't  think  of  any  other,"  he  answered.  Then 
as  a  thought  suddenly  struck  him,  he  jumped  as 
though  he  had  been  shot. 

"Why  didn't  I  think  of  that  before?"  he  fairly 
shouted.  "There  may  be  another  entrance!" 


THE   ALARM 

UNAWARE  of  the  possible  tragedy  that  was  being 
developed  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  them, 
Tyke  and  Captain  Hamilton  had  kept  on  digging 
in  the  excavation.  For  Tyke  had  refused  to  be 
kept  out  of  the  work  of  recovering  the  treasure, 
and  when  Drew  had  strolled  off  with  the  intention 
of  discovering  what  had  frightened  Ruth  and  had 
been  followed  shortly  after  by  the  latter,  the  old 
man  had  seized  Drew's  abandoned  shovel  and  had 
gone  lustily  to  work. 

"Too  much  of  a  strain  on  that  game  leg  of  yours 
to  be  heaving  up  those  shovelfuls/'  the  captain  pro- 
tested. 

"Nary  a  bit  of  it,"  answered  Tyke.  "I  ain't 
ready  to  be  put  on  the  shelf  yet,  not  by  a  blamed 
sight,  and  I  guess  if  it  came  to  a  showdown,  Rufe, 
my  muscles  are  as  good  as  yours." 

"You're  a  tough  old  knot  all  right,"  admitted 
Captain  Hamilton,  his  eyes  twinkling.  "But  there's 
no  sense  in  your  doing  Allen's  work.  Where  in 
thunder  has  the  boy  gone  anyway?" 

"Oh,  he'll  turn  up  in  a  minute  or  two,"  returned 
220 


230  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Tyke.  "Wherever  he  is  you  can  bet  your  boots  he's 
doing  something  connected  with  this  here  work  of 
treasure  seeking.  It  simply  ain't  in  that  boy  to  lay 
down  on  any  job." 

"Drew  makes  a  hit  with  you  all  right,"  laughed 
the  captain. 

"And  why  shouldn't  he?"  asked  Tyke  belliger- 
ently. "He's  been  with  me  for  some  years  now, 
and  I've  had  plenty  of  chances  of  sizin'  him  up.  If 
there  was  a  yellow  streak  in  him,  I'd  have  found  it 
out  long  ago.  If  I'd  had  a  son  of  my  own,  I 
wouldn't  have  asked  for  him  to  be  any  better  fellow 
than  Allen  is,  and  nobody  could  say  any  mor'n 
that.  He's  got  grit  an'  brains  an'  gumption,  an' 
more'n  that  he's  as  straight  as  a  string." 

"Go  ahead,"  laughed  the  captain,  as  Tyke  paused 
for  want  of  breath.  "Don't  let  me  stop  you." 

"I  don't  mind  tellin'  you,  Rufe,  what  I've  never 
told  yet  to  any  human  soul/'  continued  Tyke,  wax- 
ing confidential,  "an'  that  is  that  when  I  lay  up  in 
my  last  harbor,  Allen  is  goin'  to  come  into  every- 
thing I've  got.  He  don't  know  it  himself  yet,  but 
I've  got  it  down  shipshape  in  black  and  white  an' 
the  paper's  in  my  office  safe." 

"He's  a  lucky  fellow,"  commented  the  captain 
briefly. 

"An'  let  me  tell  you  another  thing,  Rufe,"  said 
Tyke,  "an'  that  is  that  Allen  would  make  not  only 
a  good  son,  but  a  mighty  good  son-in-law." 


The  Alarm  231 

He  nudged  the  captain  in  the  ribs  as  he  spoke, 
with  the  familiarity  of  old  comradeship. 

"Lay  off  on  that,  Tyke,"  said  the  captain,  flush- 
ing a  little  beneath  his  bronze. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  haven't  seen 
the  way  the  wind  was  blowin'?"  rejoined  Tyke  in- 
credulously. "Why,  any  one  with  a  pair  of  good 
eyes  in  his  head  can't  help  but  see  that  those  two 
are  just  made  for  each  other." 

"I'm  not  blind,  of  course,"  returned  the  captain, 
who  now  that  the  ice  was  broken  seemed  not  averse 
to  talking  the  matter  over  with  his  old  comrade. 
"I  know  of  course  that  I  can't  keep  Ruth  forever 
and  that  some  time  some  fellow  will  lay  me  aboard 
and  carry  her  off  right  from  under  my  guns.  And 
I'm  not  denying  that  up  to  a  few  days  ago,  I'd 
rather  it  would  have  been  young  Drew  than  any 
one  else.  But  now — "  here  he  paused. 

"Well,  but  now,"  repeated  Tyke. 

"You  know  just  as  well  as  I  do  what  I'm  mean- 
ing," blurted  out  Captain  Hamilton.  "This  matter 
of  Parmalee's  death  has  got  to  be  cleared  up  before 
I'd  even  consider  him  in  connection  with  Ruth.  You 
can't  blame  me  for  that,  Tyke." 

The  old  man's  face  clouded. 

"I  ain't  exactly  blaming  you,  Rufe,"  he  conceded, 
for  despite  his  ardent  partisanship  of  Allen,  he  could 
realize  how  Captain  Hamilton  as  a  parent  must 
feel;  "but  I'm  mortal  sure  that  thing  will  be  cleared 


232  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

up  before  long.  You  know  just  as  well  as  I  do  that 
Allen  didn't  kill  Parmalee  any  more  than  you  or 
I  did." 

"That's  what  I  want  to  believe,"  returned  the 
captain.  "I  mean,"  he  corrected,  as  he  saw  the 
choleric  flash  in  Tyke's  eyes,  "that's  what  I  do  be- 
lieve." 

"It's  that  scoundrel,  Ditty,  that  did  it  himself," 
growled  Tyke  savagely.  "He  cooked  up  the  whole 
thing  and  then  shoved  it  off  on  Allen.  You've  seen 
enough  of  him  since  then  to  know  that  he's  capable 
of  anything." 

"Yes,"  admitted  the  captain,  "he's  a  dirty  dog. 
But  don't  you  see,  Tyke,  that  even  allowing  that 
Allen  is  innocent,  he's  been  charged  with  doing  it. 
And  to  lots  of  people,  that's  just  about  the  same  as 
though  he  were  actually  guilty.  Then,  too,  the 
matter  will  have  to  be  tried  out  in  the  courts.  Allen 
will  have  to  stand  trial  and  even  if  he  gets  off,  as 
I  hope  he  will,  there'll  be  a  cloud  on  his  name  as 
long  as  he  lives.  How  could  I  let  Ruth  marry  a 
man  who  had  been  charged  with  murder  and  who 
got  off  because  there  wasn't  evidence  enough  to  con- 
vict?" 

"Mebbe  Ruth  would  be  willing  to  take  the 
chance,"  persisted  Tyke  stubbornly. 

"Maybe  she  would,"  agreed  the  captain,  "but 
she'd  never  do  it  with  my  consent.  She's  too  good 
and  sweet  and  pretty  a  girl  to  link  her  life  with  a 


The  Alarm  233 

man  whose  name  was  smirched.  I  wouldn't  stand 
for  it  for  a  minute." 

Tyke  was  framing  a  reply  when  suddenly  the 
earthquake  which  wrought  such  dire  results  to 
the  two  of  whom  they  were  speaking  shook  the 
ground.  The  two  men  were  thrown  against  each 
other  and  both  went  in  a  heap  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ditch.  The  breath  was  knocked  out  of  their  bodies, 
and  every  thought  was  driven  from  their  minds 
except  the  instinctive  desire  to  remain  alive  until 
nature's  onslaught  had  ceased. 

When  the  worst  was  over,  they  scrambled  to 
their  feet,  brushed  the  dirt  from  their  clothes  and 
faces,  and  stared  grimly  at  each  other. 

"If  it  didn't  seem  too  conceited  to  think  that  all 
this  fuss  was  being  made  on  our  account,"  growled 
the  captain,  as  he  picked  up  his  spade.  "I'd  surely 
make  up  my  mind  that  something  was  trying  to 
shoo  us  away  from  this  treasure  hunting." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Tyke.  "Now,  if  I  was  super- 
stitious— " 

"I  wonder,"  broke  in  the  captain  with  sudden 
alarm,  as  he  thought  of  the  two  errant  members  of 
the  party,  "where  Ruth  and  Allen  were  when  this 
quake  happened." 

"The  only  safe  thing  is  to  say  that  they  were  to- 
gether somewhere,"  said  Tyke.  "I  notice  that 
they're  never  far  apart.  Don't  you  worry,  Rufe. 
Allen  will  take  good  care  of  her." 


234  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

But  the  captain  was  already  climbing  out  of  the 
excavation.  He  gave  Tyke  a  hand  and  helped  him 
up. 

"Where  did  you  last  see  them,  Tyke?''  Hamilton 
asked,  as  his  eyes  scanned  the  surrounding  land- 
scape without  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  figures  he 
sought. 

"The  last  I  saw  of  Allen  he  was  going  down 
toward  them  trees,"  replied  Tyke,  indicating  a  cor- 
ner of  the  jungle,  "an'  a  little  later,  out  o'  the 
corner  of  my  eye,  I  saw  Ruth  going  in  the  same 
direction.  Now,  don't  fret,  Rufe.  They'll  turn  up 
as  right  as  a  trivet  in  another  minute  or  two." 

"The  jungle!"  gasped  the  captain  in  alarm. 
"Don't  you  see,  Tyke,  that  some  of  those  trees  have 
been  shaken  down.  Maybe  they've  been  caught  un- 
der one  of  them.  Hurry !  hurry !" 

He  set  off,  running  hurriedly,  and  Tyke  has- 
tened after  him  as  fast  as  he  could. 

They  were  soon  at  the  jungle's  edge.  Several 
giant  trees  had  fallen  victims  to  the  earthquake's 
wrath,  but  a  frantic  searching  among  their  trunks 
revealed  no  traces  of  the  missing  ones. 

The  captain  wiped  his  brow  and  gave  a  great 
sigh  of  relief. 

"So  far,  so  good!"  he  exclaimed.  "They've  es- 
caped that  danger  anyway.  I  had  a  fearful  scare. 
I  don't  mind  admitting  that  my  heart  was  in  my 
mouth  for  a  minute." 


The  Alarm  285 

"Same  here,"  assented  Tyke,  who  despite  his 
faith  in  Drew's  resourcefulness  had  secretly  shared 
the  captain's  alarm.  "But  if  they're  not  here,  where 
in  Sam  Hill  can  they  be  ?" 

They  raised  their  voices  in  a  shout,  but  no  an- 
swering sound  came  back. 

Several  times  they  repeated  the  call,  but  all  to 
no  purpose. 

"Strange,"  muttered  the  captain  uneasily.  "It 
isn't  like  Ruth  to  go  off  to  any  distance  without 
telling  me  about  it  beforehand." 

"Nor  Allen  neither,"  put  in  Tyke  loyally. 

"You  might  almost  think  the  earth  had  swal- 
lowed them  up,"  pursued  the  captain,  little  thinking 
how  near  he  was  to  guessing  the  truth. 

"Well,  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  keep  looking  for 
'em  until  we  find  'em,"  said  Tyke.  "You  take  that 
side  of  the  hill,  Rufe,  and  I'll  take  the  other.  We'll 
come  across  them  probably  before  we  meet  up  with 
each  other." 

The  two  men  separated  on  their  quest,  calling 
out  at  frequent  intervals.  It  did  not  take  them 
long  to  skirt  the  base  of  the  whale's  hump,  but  when 
at  last  they  met  each  saw  only  disappointment  and 
a  growing  alarm  in  the  eyes  of  the  other. 

"We'll  have  to  try  it  again  and  make  a  wider 
circle,"  exclaimed  Hamilton  desperately.  "We've 
simply  got  to  come  across  them  somewhere  around 
here." 


236  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Of  course  we  shall,"  said  Tyke  heartily,  though 
the  crease  in  his  forehead  belied  the  confidence  of 
his  words. 

Once  more  they  made  the  round  of  the  hump, 
this  time  ranging  out  much  further  from  the  base. 
Still  their  efforts  were  fruitless,  and  when  they 
met  once  more,  neither  tried  to  disguise  from  the 
other  the  growing  panic  in  his  heart. 

"Ruth,  Ruth !"  groaned  the  captain. 

"Come  now,  Rufe,  brace  up, '  comforted  Tyke. 
"While  there's  life  there's  hope. ' 

"That's  just  it/'  replied  the  captain.  "But  how 
do  we  know  there  is  life  ?  Something  serious  must 
have  happened  to  them,  or  they'd  never  stay  away 
like  this.  They'd  know  we'd  be  worried  about 
them  after  that  shock  came  and  they  couldn't  have 
come  back  to  us  quick  enough,  if  they'd  been  able 
to  come." 

Tyke  could  not  deny  the  force  of  this. 

"Well  now,  Rufe,  let's  get  down  to  the  bottom  of 
this/'  he  said.  "I'm  afraid  just  as  you  be  that 
they're  in  trouble  of  some  kind.  Now  what  could 
make  trouble  for  them  on  this  island?  There  ain't 
any  wild  beasts  of  any  account  here,  do  you  think  ?" 

"Not  that  I  ever  heard  of,"  replied  the  captain. 
"We're  too  far  south  for  mountain  lions  and  too 
far  north  for  jaguars.  There  may  be  an  occasional 
wildcat,  but  it  wouldn't  be  likely  to  attack  a  single 
person  let  alone  two  together.  There  may  be  snakes 
here  though  for  all  I  know." 


The  Alarm  237 

"Nothing  doing  there,"  said  Tyke  decisively. 
"Mebbe  there's  boas,  but  if  so  there're  a  mild  and 
harmless  kind,  such  as  those  they  make  household 
pets  of  in  some  places  to  keep  away  the  rats.  And 
if  there  are  any  poisonous  snakes,  it's  against  all 
likehood  that  both  Ruth  and  Allen  would  be  bitten. 
One  of  them  would  come  scurrying  to  us  at  once 
for  help  for  the  other. 

"Besides,"  he  went  on,  "I  know  that  Allen  had 
his  revolver  along  with  him  and  he's  a  sure  shot. 
No,  I  don't  think  we  have  to  worry  about  animals 
or  snakes." 

"What  is  there  left  then?"  groaned  the  captain. 

"There's  two  things  left,"  replied  Tyke  reflec- 
tively. "One  of  'em  is  old  nature  herself.  What  she 
can  do  is  a  plenty,  as  we've  seen  since  we  come  to 
this  island ." 

"This  infernal  island,"  broke  in  the  captain 
viciously.  "I  wish  to  heaven  we'd  never  seen  it. 
I  wish  some  one  of  these  earthquakes  had  sent  it 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

"I  don't  blame  you  much,"  assented  Tyke.  "But 
being  here,  we've  got  to  take  things  as  they  come. 
Now,  as  I  was  saying,  old  nature  may  have  taken 
a  hand  in  causing  trouble  for  the  two  young  folks. 
But  for  the  life  of  me  I  don't  see  how.  We've 
already  seen  that  they  weren't  caught  under  those 
falling  trees.  And  there  didn't  any  lava  flow  come 
with  that  last  quake.  And  that  being  so  I  can't  see 
where  nature's  got  into  the  game. 


238  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Now,"  he  continued,  "there's  just  one  thing  left 
— and  that's  men!  There  may  be  some  natives  on 
this  island  that  feel  sore  at  our  butting  in  on  'em  and 
they  may  have  come  across  them  youngsters  and 
captured  'em." 

"I  don't  think  that's  at  all  likely,"  rejoined  the 
captain.  "There'd  certainly  have  been  some  sign 
of  them,  some  boat,  some  hut  or  something  else  of 
the  kind.,  But  we  haven't  seen  hide  or  hair  of  any- 
thing since  we  landed.  The  boat's  crew,  too,  have 
been  roaming  over  the  island  and  they'd  have  re- 
ported to  us  anything  they'd  seen  that  looked  as 
though  people  lived  in  this  God-forsaken  spot." 

"Yes,"  assented  Tyke.  "And  it  stands  to  reason 
that  Allen  with  his  automatic  would  have  put  up  a 
fight  and  we'd  have  heard  the  sound  of  shots.  But 
there  are  other  men  besides  natives  on  the  island." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  captain  in  sur- 
prise. 

"I  mean  Ditty  and  his  gang  of  water  rats,"  re- 
plied Tyke. 

"You  don't  think  that  skunk  would  dare — " 
spluttered  the  captain. 

"I  think  that  one-eyed  rascal  would  dare  almost 
anything,"  answered  Tyke.  "And  it  struck  me  as 
barely  possible  that  he  might  have  come  sneaking 
around  to  see  what  we  were  doing  and  perhaps  run 
across  Allen  and  Ruth.  There's  bad  blood  there, 
as  you  know,  and  it  wouldn't  take  much  to  bring 
about  a  scrap. 


The  Alarm  239 

"Not  that  I  think  that  has  happened,"  he  went 
on,  "because  it  isn't  likely  that  Ditty's  plans  are  far 
enough  forward  yet  for  him  to  show  his  hand.  Still 
I  may  be  wrong.  I  tell  you  what  I  think  you'd  bet- 
ter do.  You  can  git  around  faster  than  I  can  with 
this  old  game  leg  of  mine.  Suppose  you  run  back 
to  the  shore  and  see  if  Ditty  is  hanging  around 
there.  If  he  is  and  everything  seems  shipshape  we 
can  leave  him  out  of  our  calculations.  Then  we'll 
have  to  figure  out  what  we're  to  do  next." 

It  was  grasping  at  straws,  but  in  their  utter  igno- 
rance of  the  real  facts  they  had  nothing  but  straws 
to  grasp  at.  The  captain  set  off  hurriedly,  while 
Tyke  went  once  more  around  the  mountain  base  in 
the  forlorn  hope  that  this  time  something  tangible 
would  come  to  reward  his  efforts. 

Once  he  thought  he  heard  something  that 
sounded  like  shots  and  he  stopped  short  in  his 
tracks.  His  old  eyes,  keen  yet,  despite  his  years, 
looked  eagerly  around.  But  as  far  as  his  eyes  could 
reach  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen,  and  he  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  he  must  have  imagined  the 
sounds  or  that  they  were  caused  by  some  rumbling 
of  the  earth. 

In  a  surprisingly  short  time,  the  captain  was 
back,  panting  and  winded  by  his  exertions. 

"Well,"  asked  Tyke  eagerly,  "did  you  find  out 
anything?" 

"The  men  were  all  huddled  down  on  the  shore 
evidently  scared  out  of  their  wits.  I  guess  we  can 


240  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

cross  them  off  our  slate.  But  how  about  you? 
Did  you  find  any  clue?" 

"Nary  a  thing,"  answered  Tyke  dejectedly.  "I 
thought  at  one  time  that  I  heard  shots,  but  when  I 
come  to  look  it  up  there  was  nothing  in  it." 

"We  must  find  them!"  cried  the  captain  ex- 
citedly, pacing  back  and  forth  like  a  wild  animal 
and  digging  his  nails  into  his  palms  as  he  clenched 
his  fists  in  anguish.  "We'll  go  over  every  foot  of 
this  island.  I'll  get  out  every  man  on  the  ship  and 
set  him  to  work  searching." 

"I  wouldn't  do  that — at  least  not  yit,"  adjured 
Tyke,  laying  his  hand  on  the  captain's  arm.  "Of 
course  we  may  have  to  do  that  as  a  last  resort. 
But  you  know  what  sailors  are,  an'  we  don't  want 
to  have  'em  cracking  their  jokes  'bout  Allen  an' 
Ruth  going  off  together.  Wait  a  bit.  The  day's 
young  yet  an'  they  may  turn  up  any  time  of  their 
own  accord.  In  the  meantime,  we'll  explore  places 
that  we  haven't  tried  before  an'  mebbe  we'll  run 
across  'em.  If  everything  else  fails,  then  we'll  turn 
out  every  man  jack  of  the  crew  and  go  over  every 
inch  of  the  island." 

To  the  agonized  father,  everything  that  savored 
of  delay  seemed  intolerable,  but  he  yielded  to  the 
wisdom  of  Tyke's  suggestion  and  once  more  they 
started  out  in  their  desperate  search. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  LAKE  OF   FIRE 

DREW  was  all  animation  in  an  instant  at  the  new 
hope  that  sprang  up  within  him  with  its  offer  of 
possible  safety  for  his  companion  and  himself. 

"Why  didn't  I  think  of  it  before?"  he  repeated, 
his  voice  shaken  with  excitement. 

"You  didn't  think  of  it  before,  because  you  were 
working  like  a  slave.  No  man  can  work  like  that 
and  think  of  anything  but  what  he  is  doing.  Oh, 
Allen,  won't  it  be  great  if  you  are  right?" 

"I'm  going  to  see  if  I  am  right,"  he  replied. 

"How  can  you  tell?"  she  asked  divining  that  he 
was  fumbling  at  his  pocket. 

"In  this  way,"  he  answered,  drawing  out  the  oil- 
skin bag  that  contained  his  precious  matches. 

He  struck  a  match  and  held  it  aloft. 

At  first  the  flame  mounted  straight  up  in  the  air. 
Then  an  instant  later  it  was  deflected  and  stood  out 
at  a  distinct  angle  from  the  stick. 

"See,"  cried  Allen  jubilantly.  "There's  a  current 
of  air  in  the  cave.  It's  too  slight  for  us  to  feel,  but 
the  flame  feels  it.  If  we  were  sealed  up  utterly  in 
the  cave,  the  air  would  be  still.  Somewhere  the  air 

241 


242  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

is  coming  in  from  the  outside  world  and  it's  up  to 
us  to  find  out  where." 

"Thank  God!"  murmured  Ruth  tremulously. 

In  the  sudden  transition  from  despair  to  hope, 
they  took  little  account  of  the  difficulties  they  might 
have  to  overcome  before  they  reached  that  other 
entrance — or  the  exit,  from  their  point  of  view — • 
which  they  had  reason  to  believe  existed.  But  as 
their  first  jubilation  subsided  somewhat,  a  soberer 
view  began  to  thrust  itself  upon  them. 

Admitting  that  there  was  an  exi*,  what  guaran- 
tee had  they  of  reaching  it  ?  Suppose  a  fathomless 
gulf  barred  their  way?  Suppose  the  passage 
narrowed  to  a  point  too  small  for  them  to  thrust 
themselves  through?  Suppose  when  the  coveted 
exit  should  at  last  be  found  it  should  prove  to  be  in 
the  ceiling  of  the  cave  instead  of  the  side,  and  hope- 
lessly out  of  reach? 

But  they  quickly  dismissed  these  dismal  fore- 
bodings. Those  problems  could  wait  for  solution 
until  they  faced  them.  The  present  at  least  was 
illumined  by  hope. 

"Come  along,  Ruth,"  cried  Allen  gaily.  "Pack 
up  your  trunks  and  let's  be  moving." 

"Only  too  gladly,"  the  girl  responded,  falling  into 
his  mood.  "I  never  did  care  much  for  this  place 
anyway." 

But  suddenly  a  reflection  came  to  her. 

"How  are  we  to  find  our  way  in  this  pitch  dark- 


The  Lake  of  Fire  243 

ness?"  she  asked.  "I  don't  know  how  many 
matches  you  have  with  you,  but  at  the  most  they 
can't  last  long.  And  the  time  may  come  when  a 
match  would  be  more  precious  than  a  diamond." 

Drew  took  out  his  bag  again,  and,  taking  the 
greatest  precautions  not  to  drop  one,  counted  the 
matches  by  the  sense  of  touch. 

"Just  thirty-two,"  he  announced  when  he  had 
counted  them  twice. 

"Only  thirty-two!"  echoed  Ruth.  "And  we  may 
need  a  hundred  and  thirty-two  before  we  get  to 
the  other  mouth  of  the  cave." 

For  a  moment  Drew  pondered. 

"You're  right,  as  always,  Ruth,"  he  agreed.  "We 
can't  depend  on  the  matches  alone.  We'll  have  to 
get  something  that  will  serve  as  a  torch.  While  I 
was  digging,  I  remember  I  came  across  many 
branches  of  trees  that  had  been  carried  down  by 
the  slide  in  its  rush.  We'll  see  if  we  can't  make 
some  torches  out  of  them." 

He  set  lustily  to  work  and  soon  had  as  many  as 
ten  good-sized  sticks  that  promised  to  supply  his 
need.  He  was  afraid  that  not  being  seasoned  wood 
they  would  prove  difficult  to  light.  But  there 
proved  to  be  a  resinous  quality  in  the  wood  that 
atoned  for  its  greenness,  and  before  long  he  had 
a  torch  that  burned  steadily  though  rather  murkily. 

"Eureka !"  he  cried  waving  it  aloft. 

"Good  for  you,  Allen,"  applauded  Ruth.     "Now 


244  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

give  me  the  rest  of  those  sticks  to  carry  and  you 
go  ahead  with  the  lighted  torch." 

"I'll  carry  them  myself,"  he  protested. 

"No  you  won't,"  she  said  decidedly,  at  the  same 
time  gathering  them  up  in  her  arms.  "You'll  have 
the  torch  in  one  hand  and  you  need  to  have  the 
other  free  for  emergencies." 

He  recognized  the  common  sense  of  this,  but 
found  it  hard  to  let  her  do  it. 

"It's  too  much  like  the  Indians,"  he  said.  "You 
know  that  with  them  the  buck  carries  his  dignity, 
while  his  squaw  carries  everything  else." 

"But  I'm  not  your  squaw,"  slipped  saucily  from 
Ruth's  lips  before  she  could  realize  the  possible  sig- 
nificance of  her  remark. 

"Not  yet,"  replied  Allen  daringly,  wanting  to 
bite  his  tongue  out  a  moment  later  for  having  taken 
advantage  of  her  slip. 

"But  let's  hurry  now,  Ruth,"  he  went  on  hastily 
to  cover  their  mutual  confusion.  "Follow  close  in 
my  steps  and  don't  keep  more  than  two  or  three  feet 
behind  me  at  any  time." 

They  set  off  on  the  unknown  path  whose  end 
meant  to  them  either  deliverance  or  death.  The 
chances  were  against  them,  but  their  hearts  were 
high  and  their  courage  steadfast. 

They  had  need  of  all  their  fortitude,  for  they  had 
not  advanced  forty  paces  before  danger  menaced 
them. 


The  Lake  of  Fire  245 

Drew  holding  his  torch  high  so  as  to  throw  its 
light  as  far  ahead  as  possible,  stepped  on  what 
seemed  to  be  a  crooked  stick  in  the  path.  Instantly 
the  stick  sprang  to  life,  and  a  powerful,  slimy  coil 
wound  itself  around  the  man's  leg  as  high  as  the 
knee. 

His  first  impulse  was  to  spring  back.  His  next 
was  to  grind  down  with  crushing  force  on  the 
squirming  thing  beneath  his  heel.  The  second  im- 
pulse conquered  the  first  and  he  stood  like  a  statue 
while  a  cold  sweat  broke  out  all  over  his  body. 

For  he  had  realized  by  the  feel  that  it  was  the 
reptile's  head  that  was  beneath  his  heel  and  must 
be  kept  there  at  all  costs  until  the  life  was  crushed 
out  of  it. 

Gradually  the  writhings  grew  feebler,  until  at  last 
the  coils  relaxed  and  fell  in  a  heap  about  his  foot. 

''What  is  it  Allen?"  asked  Ruth  in  alarm  at  his 
sudden  stop  and  rigid  pose.  "Do  you  see  any- 
thing?" 

"There's  no  danger,"  he  assured  her,  though  his 
voice  was  not  quite  steady.  "I  must  have  stepped 
on  a  lizard  or  something  like  that,  and  it  gave  me 
a  start." 

He  kicked  the  mangled  reptile  out  of  the  path, 
but  not  before  Ruth's  horrified  glance  had  seen  that 
it  was  no  lizard  but  something  far  more  deadly. 

Here  was  a  new  terror  added  to  the  others.  For 
all  they  knew  there  might  be  a  colony  of  the  reptiles 


246  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

in  the  cave.  And  in  that  semi-tropical  region,  the 
chances  were  vastly  in  favor  of  their  being  poison- 
ous. At  all  events  it  behooved  them  to  advance 
with  redoubled  caution. 

They  kept  a  wary  lookout  for  anything  that 
looked  like  a  crooked  stick  after  that,  and  their 
progress,  already  slow,  became  still  slower  as  they 
went  on. 

Before  long  they  came  to  a  place  where  the  cave 
seemed  to  divide  into  three  separate  passageways. 
Two  of  them  had  nothing  to  distinguish  them  from 
each  other,  but  in  the  third  they  distinguished  a 
faint  light  in  the  distance. 

"The  blessed  light!"  exclaimed  Ruth  fervently. 

"I  guess  that's  the  path  to  take,  all  right,"  ex- 
ulted Drew.  "In  all  probability  that  light  comes 
from  the  outlet  of  the  cave.  Hurrah  for  us,  Ruth !" 

Ruth  echoed  his  enthusiasm,  and  they  accelerated 
their  pace.  The  hope  that  they  had  cherished 
seemed  now  about  to  become  certainty. 

But  the  way  was  rougher  now,  and  at  one  place 
they  had  to  make  a  long  detour.  But  they  made  no 
complaint.  As  long  as  no  impassable  barrier  of 
rock  loomed  up  before  them  they  could  feel  that 
they  were  getting  nearer  and  nearer  to  freedom 
and  life. 

But  before  long  both  became  conscious  of  a  stead- 
ily-growing heat  in  the  air  of  the  cave.  The  per- 
spiration flowed  from  them  in  streams.  At  first 


The  Lake  of  Fire  247 

they  were  inclined  to  attribute  this  to  their  strenu- 
ous exertions  and  the  mental  strain  under  which 
they  were  laboring. 

"Strange  it  should  be  so  frightfully  hot,"  re- 
marked Drew,  as  he  stopped  for  a  moment  to  wipe 
his  brow. 

"It's  no  wonder,"  responded  Ruth.  "It's  hot 
enough  on  this  island  even  when  you're  in  the  outer 
air,  and  it  would  naturally  be  worse  still  in  this 
confined  place." 

"But  we  didn't  feel  that  way  ten  minutes  ago," 
objected  Drew. 

"We've  done  a  good  deal  of  walking  since  then," 
said  Ruth,  though  rather  doubtfully.  "But  let's  get 
along  Allen.  I'm  just  crazy  to  get  to  the  outlet." 

They  were  about  to  resume  their  journey,  when 
a  great  flame  of  fire  leaped  to  the  very  roof  of  the 
cave  about  a  hundred  yards  in  front  of  them. 

They  stopped  abruptly,  and  in  the  smoky  light  of 
the  torch  both  of  their  faces  were  white  as  chalk, 
as  they  faced  each  other  with  a  question  in  their 
eyes. 

"Fire!"  gasped  the  man. 

"Yes,"  assented  Ruth  quietly  but  bitterly.  "What 
we  thought  was  daylight  is  nothing  other  than  fire." 

"Shall  we  keep  on?"  debated  Allen. 

"We're  so  close  that  we  might  as  well,"  advised 
Ruth.  "Perhaps  we  may  be  able  to  get  around  it 
somehow." 


248  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

They  went  forward,  though  with  excessive  care, 
and  a  moment  later  stood  on  the  brink  of  the  most 
awe-inspiring  spectacle  they  had  ever  witnessed. 

In  a  deep  pit  perhaps  six  hundred  feet  in  circum- 
ference was  a  lake  of  liquid  fire !  The  molten  lava 
twisted  and  writhed  as  though  a  thousand  serpents 
were  coiling  and  uncoiling.  A  vapor  rose  from  the 
fiery  mass  that  glowed  with  a  hideous  radiance  in 
all  the  colors  of  the  spectrum. 

At  intervals,  huge  geysers  of  living  flame  spurted 
up  from  the  surface  to  a  height  of  many  feet  and 
fell  back  in  a  glistening  of  molten  gold  and  corus- 
cating diamonds. 

It  was  a  scene  that  if  it  could  have  been  viewed 
with  safety  would  have  drawn  tourists  in  thousands 
from  every  corner  of  the  globe. 

But  to  the  two  spectators  the  thought  that  they 
were  looking  on  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  world 
brought  nothing  but  desolation  and  despair. 

"This  must  be  the  source  of  the  lava  flow  when 
the  whale's  hump  is  in  eruption,"  said  Drew  in  a 
toneless  voice. 

"I  suppose  so,"  said  Ruth  in  a  voice  that  for 
dreariness  was  a  replica  of  his  own.  "Do  you  think 
it's  possible  for  us  to  get  around  it  in  any  way, 
Allen?" 

"Not  a  chance  in  the  world,"  answered  Drew. 
"You  can  see  that  the  passage  we  followed  ends  at 
the  brink  of  the  crater.  From  there  on,  there's  just 


The  Lake  of  Fire  249 

a  wall  of  solid  rock.  The  only  thing  left  for  us  to 
do  is  to  get  back  to  the  place  where  the  cave  split 
into  three  parts. 

They  retraced  their  steps  with  hearts  that  grew 
heavier  at  every  step.  The  passage  that  had  seemed 
most  promising  had  yielded  nothing  but  bitter  dis- 
appointment. Only  two  other  chances  remained, 
and  who  could  tell  that  they  led  anywhere  but  to 
death  ? 

At  the  juncture  of  the  passageways,  they  hesi- 
tated for  a  moment  only.  There  was  absolutely 
nothing  to  indicate  that  they  should  take  one  of  the 
remaining  two  paths  rather  than  the  other.  Im- 
penetrable blackness  covered  both. 

"Which  shall  it  be,  Ruth?"  asked  Drew. 

"You  do  the  choosing,  Allen,"  Ruth  responded. 

At  a  venture  he  took  the  one  leading  to  the  left, 
but  had  not  proceeded  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
when  he  stopped  abruptly  on  the  very  brink  of  a 
chasm  that  spanned  the  entire  width  of  the  passage- 
way. There  was  no  ledge  however  narrow  to  fur- 
nish a  foothold  along  its  sides.  Once  more  they 
were  absolutely  blocked. 

Drew  checked  a  groan  and  Ruth  stifled  something 
suspiciously  like  a  sob.  The  tension  under  which 
they  were  was  fast  reaching  the  breaking  point. 

"Never  mind,"  said  Drew,  stoutly  recovering 
himself.  "There's  luck  in  odd  numbers  and  the 
third  time  we  win." 


250  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"First  the  worst,  second  the  same,  last  the  best 
of  all  the  game,"  responded  Ruth  with  an  attempt 
at  heartiness. 

Again  they  went  back  and  took  the  only  way  re- 
maining. Upon  the  ending  of  that  passage  their 
life  or  death  depended. 

But  as  they  advanced  steadily  and  no  barrier  in- 
terfered, their  spirits  rose.  Then  suddenly  they 
cried  aloud  in  their  joy,  for  on  turning  a  sharp 
bend  in  the  path  a  rush  of  air  almost  extinguished 
the  torch  that  Drew  was  carrying. 

A  hundred  feet  ahead  was  an  opening  thickly 
covered  with  bushes,  but  large  enough  to  admit  of 
forcing  a  passage! 

Ruth  dropped  her  load  of  surplus  torches.  Drew, 
grasping  her  arm,  hurried  her  along.  He  forced 
the  bushes  apart  and  pushed  her  through.  Then  he 
followed.  They  heard  a  wild  shout  and  the  next 
minute  Ruth  was  sobbing  in  her  father's  arms, 
while  Tyke — hardy  grizzled  old  Tyke — had  thrown 
his  arms  around  Allen  in  a  bear's  hug  and  was 
blubbering  like  a  baby. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

HOPE    DEFERRED 

THERE  was  a  wild  babble  of  questions  and  an- 
swers, and  it  was  a  long  time  before  all  had  calmed 
down  enough  to  talk  coherently. 

The  captain  and  Tyke  in  their  frantic  search  had 
come  just  abreast  of  the  outlet  at  the  moment  when 
Ruth  and  Allen  had  burst  out  into  daylight  and 
safety. 

Their  hearts  thrilled  as  they  listened  to  the  dread- 
ful perils  through  which  had  passed  the  two  who 
were  dearest  to  them  on  earth  and  the  narration 
was  punctuated  with  expressions  of  consternation 
and  sympathy. 

"Well  now,"  suggested  Ruth  after  a  half  hour 
had  passed,  "let's  get  back  to  work." 

"No  more  work  this  afternoon,"  ejaculated  the 
captain.  "You're  going  straight  back  to  the  ship." 

"Indeed  I'm  not,  Daddy,"  rejoined  Ruth.  "I'm 
all  right  now  and  I'll  be  vastly  happier  sitting  here 
and  seeing  you  go  on  with  the  work  than  to  feel 
I've  made  you  lose  a  day.  We've  got  some  hours 
of  daylight  yet." 

The  captain  protested,  but  Ruth  coaxed  and 
wheedled  him  till  he  consented  and  they  all  went 
back  to  the  ditch  they  had  started  and  went  to  work, 

251 


252  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Ruth  alone  of  the  party  being  forbidden  to  lift  a 
finger. 

They  excavated  to  the  volcanic  ledge  in  half  a 
dozen  places.  In  none  did  they  find  a  trace  of  treas- 
ure— not  a  sign  that  this  soil  had  ever  before  been 
disturbed  by  the  hand  of  man. 

"Bad  mackerel!"  grumbled  Captain  Hamilton, 
finally  climbing  out  of  his  last  pit.  "This  looks  as 
if  we'd  been  handed  a  rotten  deal  from  a  cold  deck." 

Tyke  looked  up  from  his  work,  and  began : 

"Mebbe  that —  Now,  if  I  was  superstitious — 
Oh,  well,"  he  went  on  hastily,  "you  can't  expect  to 
find  a  fortune  in  a  minute." 

"But  we  got  the  bearings  all  right,  according  to 
the  map,  didn't  we?"  demanded  the  captain  with 
some  asperity. 

"We  certainly  did,"  Drew  put  it. 

"We  can't  dig  over  the  whole  island,"  complained 
Captain  Hamilton.  "It  would  be  foolish.  Hush! 
What's  that?" 

A  rumble,  a  sound  from  the  very  bowels  of  the 
hill,  smote  upon  their  ears.  Ruth  ran  to  them. 

"Oh,  Daddy!"  she  cried,  "is  there  going  to  be 
another  earthquake?" 

"Look  there !"  Drew  said  pointing  upward. 

Over  the  summit  of  the  whale's  hump  hung  a 
balloon  of  smoke,  or  of  steam,  its  underside  of  a 
lurid  hue. 

"I  say  I've  had  enough  for  one  day,"  declared 


Hope  Deferred  258 

the  master  of  the  Bertha  Hamilton.  "Let's  get 
back  to  the  schooner  before  anything  else  occurs. 
Maybe  a  night's  sleep  will  put  heart  in  us.  But  I 
tell  you  right  now,  I,  for  one,  would  sell  my  share 
in  the  pirate's  treasure  at  a  big  discount." 

The  captain  was  the  most  outspoken  of  the  treas- 
ure seekers;  but  they  were  all  despondent.  They 
hid  their  digging  tools,  and  departed  for  the  shore 
of  the  lagoon,  the  volcano  rumbling  at  times  be- 
hind them. 

They  emerged  from  the  forest  just  as  the  sun 
was  setting.  As  they  came  out  on  the  beach  they 
were  surprised  to  see  that  it  was  bare.  Neither  the 
longboat  nor  the  smaller  one  was  in  sight,  nor  could 
anything  be  seen  of  the  crews. 

The  captain  called  some  of  the  men  by  name. 
There  was  no  response.  Then  he  cupped  his  hands 
at  his  mouth,  and  his  stentorian  voice  rang  over  the 
waters  of  the  lagoon. 

"Ship  ahoy!" 

In  a  moment  there  was  an  answering  hail,  and 
they  soon  saw  that  a  boat  was  being  manned.  It 
came  rapidly  inshore,  propelled  by  four  members  of 
the  crew,  and,  as  it  drew  nearer,  they  could  see  that 
Rogers  was  seated  at  the  tiller. 

As  the  boat  reached  the  beach  the  second  officer 
stepped  out. 

"What  does  this  mean,  Mr.  Rogers?"  asked  the 
captain  sternly. 


254  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Mr.  Ditty's  orders,  sir,"  replied  the  second  offi- 
cer. "The  men  got  scared  at  the  earthquake  this 
morning,  sir,  and  after  that  second  quake  they  flatly 
refused  to  stay  ashore.  So  Mr.  Ditty  let  them  go 
back  to  the  ship." 

"But  why  didn't  he  leave  the  other  boat's  crew 
waiting  for  me?"  asked  the  captain.  "If  they  were 
afraid  to  remain  ashore  they  could  have  stayed  in 
the  boat,  rigged  an  awning  to  shield  them  from  the 
sun,  and  laid  off  and  on  within  hail." 

"That's  what  I  thought,  sir,  and  I  said  as  much 
to  Mr.  Ditty.  But  he  shut  me  up  sharp,  and  said 
it  would  be  time  enough  to  send  a  boat  when  you 
should  come  in  sight,  sir." 

The  captain  bit  his  lip,  but  said  no  more,  and  the 
party  stepped  into  the  boat.  They  soon  reached  the 
Bertha  Hamilton,  and  all  climbed  aboard.  The 
first  officer  was  standing  near  the  rail. 

"Come  aft  and  report  to  me  after  supper,  Mr. 
Ditty,"  ordered  the  captain  brusquely. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  replied  the  mate. 

As  soon  as  supper  was  over  and  Ruth  had  gone 
to  her  stateroom  the  captain  started  to  go  on  deck, 
but  Tyke  put  his  hand  on  his  arm. 

"Going  to  give  Ditty  a  dressing  down,  I  sup- 
pose," he  remarked. 

"He's  got  it  coming  to  him,"  snapped  Captain 
Hamilton. 

"He  surely  has,"  agreed  Tyke.     "But  have  you 


Hope  Deferred  255 

thought  that  perhaps  that's  jest  what  he  wants  you 
to  do?" 

The  captain  sat  down  heavily. 

"Get  it  off  your  chest,  Tyke,"  he  said.  "Tell  me 
what  you  mean." 

"I  mean  jest  this,"  said  Tyke.  "Often  there's 
trouble  in  the  wind  that  never  comes  to  anything 
because  the  feller  that's  brewing  it  don't  git  a  chance 
to  start  it.  He  fiddles  'round  waiting  for  an  open- 
ing; but  if  he  don't  find  it  the  trouble  jest  dies  a 
natural  death. 

"Now,  this  Ditty,  /  think,  is  looking  for  an  open- 
ing. As  far  as  his  letting  his  own  boat's  crew  come 
on  board  when  you  had  told  him  to  keep  them  on 
shore  for  the  day  is  concerned,  that  can  be  over- 
looked. You  can't  blame  the  men  for  being  scared, 
an'  any  mate  might  be  excused  for  using  his  own 
judgment  under  those  conditions. 

"But  his  not  keeping  your  boat's  crew  waiting 
for  you,  even  if  they  stayed  a  little  away  from  the 
shore,  was  rank  disrespect.  He  knew  you  would 
take  it  so.  He  knew  it  would  weaken  your  author- 
ity with  the  crew.  An'  he  expects  you'll  call  him 
down  for  it.  Isn't  that  so?" 

"Of  course  it  is,"  agreed  Captain  Hamilton. 

"Well  then,"  pursued  Tyke,  "if  he  did  that  de- 
liberately, expecting  you'd  rake  him  fore  and  aft 
for  it,  it  shows  that  he  wants  you  to  start  something, 
don't  it?  An'  my  principle  in  a  fight  is  to  find  out 


256  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

what  the  other  feller  wants  and  then  not  do  it.  He 
wants  to  provoke  you.  Don't  let  yourself  be  pro- 
voked or  you'll  play  right  into  his  hands." 

"I  might  as  well  make  him  captain  of  the  ship 
and  be  done  with  it,"  cried  Captain  Hamilton 
bitterly.  "I've  never  let  a  man  get  away  with  any- 
thing like  that  yet." 

"An'  we  won't  let  this  feller  git  away  with  it  for 
long,"  answered  Tyke.  "We'll  give  him  a  trimming 
he'll  never  forgit.  But  we'll  choose  our  own  time 
for  it,  an'  that  time  ain't  now.  Wait  till  we've 
found  the  treasure  an'  got  it  safe  on  board.  Then, 
my  mighty!  if  he  starts  anything,  put  him  an'  his 
gang  ashore  an'  sail  without  'em." 

"You  think,  then,  he  wants  me  to  knock  the  chip 
off  his  shoulder?"  mused  the  captain. 

"Exactly,"  replied  Tyke.  "An'  if  you  don't,  he 
may  be  so  flabbergasted  that  before  he  cooks  up 
anything  new  we'll  have  the  whip  hand  of  him." 

"Well,  I'll  do  as  you  say,  though  it  sure  does  go 
against  the  grain." 

Tyke's  recipe  worked;  for  when  Ditty  sauntered 
to  the  poop  a  little  later  to  receive  the  rebuke  which 
he  expected  and  which  he  was  prepared  to  resent, 
the  wind  was  taken  out  of  his  sails  by  the  captain's 
good  nature  and  pleasant  smile. 

"Quite  a  little  scare  the  men  got,  I  suppose,  when 
they  felt  the  quake  this  morning?"  Captain  Hamil- 
ton inquired  genially. 


Hope  Deferred  257 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  mate.  "There  was  nothin' 
to  do  but  to  get  back  to  the  ship.  Some  of  'em  was 
so  scared  that  they  would  've  swum  the  lagoon,  and 
I  didn't  want  'em  to  do  that  for  fear  of  sharks." 

"Quite  right,  Mr.  Ditty,"  returned  the  captain 
approvingly.  "That  is  all." 

Still  Ditty  lingered. 

"I  ordered  the  men  in  your  boat  to  come  back 
too,"  he  said,  eyeing  the  skipper  aslant. 

"That  was  all  right  too,"  replied  the  captain  ab- 
sently, as  though  the  matter  wras  of  no  importance. 
"The  ship  was  so  near  that  it  wasn't  worth  while 
keeping  the  men  out  there  in  the  sun  all  day." 

Ditty  stared.  This  was  not  the  strict  disciplina- 
rian that  Captain  Hamilton  had  always  been.  He 
hesitated,  opened  his  mouth  to  say  something,  found 
nothing  to  say,  and  at  last,  with  his  ideas  disordered, 
went  sullenly  away.  If  he  had  planned  to  bring 
things  to  a  crisis  he  had  signally  failed. 

Captain  Hamilton  watched  the  retreating  back, 
of  his  mate  with  a  somber  glow  in  his  eyes  that 
contrasted   strongly   with   the    forced   smile   of    a 
moment  before,  and  then  retired  to  the  cabin  to  go 
again  into  conference  with  Grimshaw. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE    GIANT    AWAKES 

ALLEN  DREW  had  not  been  a  party  to  the  confer- 
ence between  Captain  Hamilton  and  Grimshaw 
after  supper.  After  the  strenuous  exertions  of  the 
day  he  had  felt  the  need  of  a  bath  and  a  change  of 
linen. 

Once  more  clothed  and  feeling  refreshed.  Drew 
paced  the  afterdeck  with  his  cigar,  hearing  the 
voices  of  Captain  Hamilton  and  Tyke  in  the  for- 
mer's cabin,  but  having  no  desire  just  then  to  join 
them. 

Although  his  body  was  rejuvenated,  his  mind 
was  far  from  peaceful.  He  had  not  lost  hope  of 
their  finding  what  they  had  come  so  far  to  search 
for;  he  still  believed  the  pirate  hoard  to  be  buried 
on  the  side  of  the  whale's  hump.  "Hope  deferred 
maketh  the  heart  sick;"  but  hope  had  not  been  long 
enough  deferred  in  this  case  to  sicken  any  of  the 
party  of  treasure  seekers.  Yet  there  was  a  great 
sickness  at  the  heart  of  Allen  Drew. 

That  particular  incident  of  the  afternoon  that  had 
brought  the  remembrance  of  Parmalee  so  keenly 
to  his  mind,  had  thrown  a  pall  over  his  thoughts 
not  easily  lifted. 

258 


The  Giant  Awakes  259 

It  had  shown,  too,  that  Parmalee's  strange  and 
awful  death  had  strongly  affected  Ruth.  That  mys- 
tery was  likely  to  erect  a  barrier  between  the  girl 
and  himself.  Indeed,  it  had  done  so  already.  Drew 
felt  it — he  knew  it ! 

There  was  in  her  father's  attitude  something  in- 
tangible, yet  certain  enough,  which  spelled  the  cap- 
tain's doubt  of  him.  As  long  as  Parmalee's  disap- 
pearance remained  unexplained,  as  long  as  Ditty's 
story  could  not  be  disproved.  Drew  felt  that  Captain 
Hamilton  would  nurse  in  his  mind  a  doubt  of  his 
innocence. 

And  that  doubt,  if  it  remained,  whether  Drew 
was  ever  tried  for  the  crime  of  Parmalee's  murder 
or  not,  just  as  surely  put  Ruth  out  of  his  grasp  as 
though  his  hands  actually  dripped  of  the  dead  man's 
blood. 

Captain  Hamilton  would  never  see  his  daughter 
marry  a  man  under  such  a  cloud.  Drew  appreciated 
the  character  of  the  schooner's  commander  too  thor- 
oughly to  base  any  illusions  upon  the  fact  that 
Hamilton  treated  him  kindly.  They  were  partners 
in  this  treasure  hunt.  The  doubloons  once  secured, 
the  Bertha  Hamilton  once  in  port,  Drew  well  knew 
that  Ruth's  father  \vould  do  what  he  felt  to  be  his 
duty.  He  would  be  Drew's  accuser  at  the  bar  of 
public  justice.  That,  undoubtedly,  was  a  foregone 
conclusion. 

Plunged  in  the  depth  of  these  despairing  thoughts, 


260  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Drew  was  startled  by  the  light  fall  of  a  soft  hand 
upon  his  arm,  and  he  descried  the  slight  figure  of 
Ruth  beside  him. 

"Walking  the  deck  alone,  Allen?"  she  said  softly. 
"I  wondered  where  you  were." 

"Just  doing  my  usual  forty  laps  after  supper,"  he 
responded,  trying  to  speak  lightly. 

"I  should  think  your  work  to-day  in  the  digging, 
to  say  nothing  of  our  experience  in  the  cave,  would 
have  been  as  much  exercise  as  you  really  needed," 
she  said,  laughing.  "And  all  for  nothing!" 

"We  could  scarcely  expect  success  so  soon,"  he 
replied. 

"No?  Perhaps  success  is  not  to  be  our  portion, 
Allen.  What  then?" 

"Well,"  and  he  tried  to  say  it  cheerfully,  "we've 
had  a  run  for  our  money." 

"A  run  for  the  pirate's  money,  you  mean.  Let's 
see,"  she  added  slyly,  "that  confession  did  not  state 
just  how  many  doubloons  were  buried,  did  it?" 

"The  amount  specified  I  failed  to  make  out,"  he 
told  her.  "Time  had  erased  it." 

"Then  we  are  after  an  unknown  amount — an  un- 
known quantity  of  doubloons.  And  perhaps  we  are 
fated  never  to  know  the  amount  of  the  pirate's 
hoard,"  and  she  laughed  again.  Then,  suddenly, 
she  clutched  his  arm  more  tightly  as  they  paced 
the  deck  together,  crying  under  her  breath:  "Oh! 
look  yonder  Allen." 


The  Giant  Awakes  261 

A  strangely  flickering  light  dispelled  the  pall  that 
hung  above  the  hilltop.  The  cloud  of  smoke  or 
steam,  rising  from  the  crater  and  which  they  had 
first  seen  that  afternoon,  was  now  illuminated  and 
shot  through  with  rays  of  light  evidently  reflected 
from  the  bowels  of  the  hill. 

"The  volcano  is  surely  alive!''  cried  the  young 
man. 

The  crew,  loafing  on  the  forecastle,  saw  the  phe- 
nomenon, and  their  chattering  voices  rose  in  a 
chorus  of  excitement.  Tyke  came  up  from  below 
and  joined  Drew  and  the  captain's  daughter.  The 
glare  of  the  volcano  illuminated  the  night,  and 
they  could  see  each  other's  features  distinctly. 

"Looks  like  we'd  stirred  things  up  over  there," 
chuckled  the  old  man.  "There  are  more'n  ghosts 
of  dead  and  gone  pirates  guarding  that  treasure." 

"It — it  is  rather  terrifying,  isn't  it?"  Ruth  sug- 
gested. 

"It  is  to  them  ignorant  swabs  for'ard,"  growled 
Tyke.  "Good  thing,  though.  They'll  be  too  scared 
to  want  to  roam  over  the  island.  We  want  it  to 
ourselves  till  we  find  the  loot.  Don't  we  Allen?" 

"That's  true.  The  disturbance  over  there  may 
not  be  an  unmitigated  evil,"  was  the  young  man's 
rejoinder. 

Captain  Hamilton  called  Ruth  through  the  open 
window  of  his  cabin,  and  she  bade  Grimshaw  and 
Allen  Drew  good  night  and  went  below.  Tyke  re- 


262  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

mained  only  long  enough  to  finish  his  cigar,  then 
he  departed. 

The  light  over  the  volcano  faded,  the  rumblings 
ceased.  Drew,  in  his  rubber-soled  shoes,  paced  the 
deck  alone ;  but  he  could  not  be  seen  ten  feet  away, 
for  he  wore  dark  clothes. 

He  knew  that  Mr.  Rogers  had  long  since  gone 
to  his  room.  Most  of  the  crew  had  either  sought 
their  bunks  or  were  stretched  out  on  the  forecastle 
hatch.  Yet  he  heard  a  low  murmur  of  voices  from 
amidships.  When  he  paced  to  that  end  of  his  walk, 
the  voices  reached  him  quite  clearly  and  he  recog- 
nized that  of  the  one-eyed  mate.  The  other  man  he 
knew  to  be  Bingo,  the  only  English  sailor  aboard— 
a  shrewd  and  rat-faced  little  Cockney. 

"Blime  me,  Bug-eye!  but  wot  Hi  sye  Hi  means. 
The  devil  'imself's  near  where  there's  so  much 
brimstone.  If  that  hull  bloomin'  'ill  blows  hup, 
where'll  we  be,  Hi  axes  ye?" 

"Jest  here  or  hereabouts,"  growled  Ditty. 

Drew  stepped  nearer  and  frankly  listened  to  the 
conversation. 

"Hi'm  as  'ungry  for  blunt  as  the  next  bloke,  an' 
ye  sye  there's  plenty  hin  it " 

"Slathers  of  it,  Bingo/'  said  the  mate  earnestly. 
"Why,  man!  some  of  these  islands  down  here  are 
rotten  with  buried  pirate  gold.  Millions  and  mil- 
lions was  stole  and  buried  by  them  old  boys/' 

"Yah!    Hi've   'eard   hall   that   before,   Hi   'ave. 


The  Giant  Awakes  263 

Who  hain't?"  said  Bingo,  with  considerable  shrewd- 
ness. "Honly  hit  halways  struck  me  that  if  them 
old  buccaneers,  as  they  calls  'em,  was  proper  sailor- 
men,  they'd  'ave  spent  the  hull  blunt  hinstead  o' 
buryin'  hof  hit." 

"Holy  heavers,  Bingo,  they  couldn't  spend  it  all !" 
exclaimed  Ditty.  "There  was  too  much  of  it.  Mil- 
lions, mind  you!" 

"Millions!  My  heye!"  croaked  the  Cockney.  ''A 
million  of  yer  Hamerican  dollars  or  a  million 
sterling?" 

"You  can  lay  to  it,"  said  Ditty  firmly,  "that 
there's  more'n  one  million  in  English  pounds  buried 
in  these  here  islands.  And  there's  a  bunch  of  it 
somewheres  on  this  island." 

"Then,  Bug-eye,  wye  don't  we  git  that  map  hand 
dig  it  hup  hourselves  on  the  bloomin'  jump?  Wye 
wite?  We  kin  easy  'andle  the  hafter-guard." 

"The  boys  are  balkin',  that's  why/'  growled 
Ditty.  "They're  like  you — afraid  of  that  rotten  old 
volcano." 

"Blime  me!  Hand  wye  wouldn't  they  be  scare't 
hof  hit?"  snarled  the  Cockney. 

"That  bein'  the  general  feelin', '  Ditty  said 
calmly,  "why  we'll  stick  to  my  plan.  Let  the  old 
man  dig  it  up  hisself  and  bring  it  aboard. 

"It'll  save  us  the  trouble,  won't  it?  And  mebbe 
we  can  git  rid  of  some  of  the  swabs,  one  at  a 
time " 


264  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Huh!"  chuckled  Bingo.  "One's  gone  halready. 
Hi  see  yer  bloomin'  scheme,  Bug-eye." 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  mate,  rising  from  his  seat, 
"keep  it  to  yourself  and  take  your  orders  from  me, 
like  the  rest  does." 

"Hall  right,  matey,  hall  right,"  said  Bingo,  and 
likewise  stood  up. 

Drew  dared  remain  no  longer.  He  stole  away 
to  the  stern  and  stood  for  a  while,  looking  over 
the  rail  into  the  black  water — no  blacker  than  the 
rage  that  filled  his  heart. 

He  felt  half  tempted  to  attack  the  treacherous 
Ditty  with  his  bare  hands  and  strangle  the  rascal. 
But  he  knew  that  this  was  no  time  for  a  reckless 
move.  There  were  only  himself,  the  captain,  and 
Tyke  to  face  this  promised  mutiny.  Probably  they 
could  trust  Rogers,  and  some  few  of  the  men  for- 
ward might  be  faithful  to  the  after-guard.  The  un- 
certainty of  this,  however,  was  appalling. 

After  a  time  he  went  below  and  rapped  lightly 
on  the  captain's  door.  The  commander  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton  opened  to  him  instantly.  He  was 
partly  undressed. 

"Eh?    That  you,  Mr.  Drew?" 

"Sh !  Put  out  your  light,  Captain.  I'll  bring  Mr. 
Grimshaw.  I  have  something  to  tell  you  both," 
whispered  the  young  man. 

"All  right,"  said  the  captain,  quick  to  understand. 

His  light  was  out  before  Drew  reached  Tyke's 


The  Giant  Awakes  265 

door.  This  was  unlocked,  but  the  old  man  was  in 
his  berth.  Long  years  at  sea  had  made  Tyke  a 
light  sleeper.  He  often  said  he  slept  with  one  eye 
open. 

"That  you,  Allen?" 

"Yes.  Hush!  We  want  you  in  the  captain's 
room — he  and  I.  Come  just  as  you  are." 

"Aye,  aye!"  grunted  the  old  man,  instantly  out 
of  his  berth. 

The  light  was  turned  low  in  the  saloon.  Drew 
did  not  now  whether  Ditty  had  come  down  or  not ; 
but  unmistakable  nasal  sounds  from  Mr.  Roger's 
room  assured  him  that  the  second  officer  was  safe. 

Tyke,  light-footed  as  a  cat,  followed  him  to  Cap- 
tain Hamilton's  door.  It  was  ajar,  and  they  went 
in.  The  commander  of  the  schooner  sat  on  the 
edge  of  his  berth.  They  could  see  each  other  dimly 
in  the  faint  light  that  entered  through  the  transom 
over  the  door.  Captain  Hamilton  had  drawn  the 
blind  at  the  window. 

"Well,  what's  up?"  he  murmured. 

Drew  wasted  no  time,  but  in  whispers  repeated 
the  conversation  he  had  overheard  between  Bingo 
and  the  mate.  When  he  had  finished,  Tyke  ob- 
served coolly: 

"I'd  've  bet  dollars  to  doughnuts  that  that  was  the 
way  she  headed.  Now  we  know.  Eh,  Cap'n 
Rufe?" 

"Yes,"  grunted  the  captain. 


266  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"What  shall  we  do?"  asked  Drew. 

"Do?  Keep  on,"  Captain  Hamilton  said  firmly. 
"What  d'  you  say,  Tyke?" 

"Yes,"  agreed  Grimshaw.  "Ditty  is  playing  a 
waiting  game.  So  will  we.  An'  we  have  the  ad- 
vantage." 

"I  don't  see  that,"  Drew  muttered. 

"Why,  we  know  his  plans.  He  don't  know  ours," 
explained  the  old  man.  "We  haven't  got  to  worry 
about  them  swabs  till  we've  found  the  doubloons, 
anyway." 

"If  we  find  'em,"  murmured  the  captain. 

"By  George !  we're  bound  to  find  'em,"  Tyke  said, 
with  confidence.  "That's  what  we  come  down  here 
for." 

His  enthusiasm  seemed  unquenched.  Drew  could 
not  lose  heart  when  the  old  man  was  so  hopefully 
determined. 

"But  Miss  Ruth?"  Allen  suggested  timidly,  look- 
ing at  Captain  Hamilton. 

"Don't  bother  about  her,"  answered  the  captain 
shortly.  "She'll  not  be  out  of  my  sight  a  minute. 
She  must  go  ashore  with  us  every  day.  I'll  not 
trust  her  aboard  alone  with  these  scoundrels." 

They  talked  little  more  that  night;  but  it  was 
agreed  to  take  all  the  firearms  and  much  of  the 
ammunition,  disgused  in  wrappings  of  some  kind, 
ashore  with  them  in  the  morning  and  conceal  all 
with  the  digging  tools. 


The  Giant  Awakes  267 

"Jest  as  well  to  take  them  all  along,"  Tyke  had 
advised.  "I  hope  we  won't  have  to  use  'em.  But 
if  we're  going  to  take  Rogers  with  us  to-morrow 
and  leave  Ditty  in  charge  here,  the  rascal  might 
go  nosing  around  an'  find  them  guns." 

"I  hate  to  leave  Ditty  in  possession  of  the 
schooner,"  returned  the  captain,  with  a  worried 
look. 

"So  do  I,"  admitted  Tyke.  "But  after  all,  it  isn't 
only  the  schooner  he  wants.  She's  no  good  to  him 
until  we  git  the  treasure  aboard.  The  only  men  it 
will  be  wise  to  take  with  us  to-morrow  are  Rogers 
an'  a  boat's  crew  that  you  know  you  can  trust." 

Immediately  after  breakfast  the  next  morning 
the  captain  summoned  the  second  officer. 

"I  want  you  to  take  me  ashore  this  morning, 
Mr.  Rogers,"  he  said ;  "and  as  I  have  a  lot  of  heavy 
dunnage  that  the  men  will  have  to  carry,  I'll  want 
a  husky  crew.  Take  six  men;  and  I  want  you  to 
take  special  pains  in  picking  out  the  best  men  we 
have.  Men  whom  we  can  trust  and  who  haven't 
been  mixed  up  with  the  whispering  and  the  queer 
business  that  you  mentioned." 

The  second  officer's  eye  flashed,  and  he  nodded 
understandingly. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  he  replied.  "As  for  the  men, 
sir,"  he  went  on  reflectively,  "there's  a  dozen  I 
could  stake  my  life  on  who  wouldn't  be  in  any 
crooked  game.  Suppose,"  he  counted  off  on  his 


268  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

fingers,  "we  take  Olsen  and  Binney  and  Barker 
and  Dodd  and  Thompson  and  Willis.  They're  all 
true  blue,  and  I  don't  think  they're  in  such  a  funk 
over  the  volcano  as  some  of  the  others." 

"They'll  do,"  assented  the  captain.  "They're  the 
very  men  I  had  in  mind.  Call  some  of  them  down 
now  and  have  them  get  this  stuff  up  on  deck.  And 
tell  the  cook  to  send  dinner  grub  along,  for  we  may 
be  gone  all  day." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  answered  Rogers,  as  he  left  the 
cabin. 

A  little  later  the  party  gathered  at  the  rail,  and 
the  captain  spoke  to  the  mate. 

"Mr.  Rogers  is  going  to  take  us  ashore,  Mr. 
Ditty,"  he  said  pleasantly.  "There  are  no  special 
orders.  You  can  let  some  of  the  men  have  shore 
leave  if  they  want  it,  although  after  yesterday  I 
don't  suppose  they  will." 

"I  suppose  not,"  replied  Ditty  surlily.  "They'll 
all  be  glad  when  we  turn  our  backs  on  this  cursed 
island." 

The  captain  pretended  not  to  hear.  The  goods 
were  stowed  in  the  boat,  the  party  and  crew  took 
their  places,  and  the  craft  was  pulled  smartly  to 
the  beach. 

"Now,  my  lads,"  said  the  captain  briskly,  as  he 
stepped  ashore,  "there's  quite  a  trip  ahead  of  you 
and  you've  got  a  man's  job  in  carrying  this  stuff, 
but  I'll  see  that  you  don't  lose  anything  by  it.  Step 
up  smartly  now." 


The  Giant  Awakes  269 

The  men  shouldered  their  burdens  and  started 
off  on  the  trail  that  had  now  grown  familiar  to  the 
treasure  seekers.  The  men  were  able  to  maintain 
a  fairly  rapid  pace,  and  before  long  the  party  ar- 
rived at  the  edge  of  the  clearing  within  which  the 
treasure  was  supposed  to  be  buried. 

The  captain  took  Rogers  aside. 

"Take  your  men  back  to  the  beach  now,  Mr. 
Rogers,"  he  directed.  "Remember,  I  want  none  of 
them  poking  about  here.  We'll  rejoin  you  in  good 
season  for  supper,  if  not  before." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir!"  was  the  cheerful  reply. 

Rogers  turned  with  his  men,  and  the  captain 
watched  their  backs  far  down  the  forest  path,  until 
they  were  lost  to  sight  in  the  greenery  of  the  jungle. 

"Well  now,"  he  remarked,  as  he  turned  again 
to  the  others,  "lively' s  the  word.  Let's  get  busy 
and .  Great  Scott!  Look  at  that!"  he  ex- 
claimed, staring  at  the  top  of  the  whale's  hump. 

A  column  of  black  smoke  was  rising  from  the 
crater. 

"Looks  like  the  whale  was  going  to  blow  again," 
Tyke  said,  with  a  feeble  attempt  at  levity  to  dis- 
guise his  apprehension. 

The  next  moment  the  ears  of  the  party  were 
deafened  by  a  terrific  explosion. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

BY    FAVOR    OF    THE    EARTHQUAKE 

No  THUNDER  that  had  ever  been  heard  could  be 
compared  with  the  sound  of  the  explosion.  It  was 
like  the  bellowing  of  a  thousand  cannon.  It  was  as 
though  the  island  were  being  ripped  apart. 

The  earth  shook  and  staggered  drunkenly  be- 
neath the  feet  of  the  treasure  seekers.  Great  trees 
in  the  adjacent  forest  fell  with  tremendous  uproar. 
The  slope  of  the  whale's  hump  was  ridged  until  it 
looked  like  a  giant  accordion.  Crevasses  opened, 
extending  from  the  summit  of  the  hill  downward. 
Rocks  came  tumbling  down  by  the  score,  and  a  col- 
umn of  smoke  and  flame  rose  from  the  crater  to 
a  height  of  two  hundred  feet  or  more. 

None  of  the  party  had  been  able  to  keep  on  a 
footing.  All  had  been  thrown  to  the  ground  by  the 
first  shock,  and  there  they  lay,  sick  from  that  awful 
seismic  vibration. 

A  cloud  of  almost  impalpable  dust  spread  broadly 
and  shrouded  the  sun.  There  was  not  a  breath  of 
air  astir.  Not  a  living  thing  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
open — even  the  lizards  had  disappeared. 

The  spot  where  they  had  delved  the  day  before, 
was  now  in  plain  view  to  the  treasure  seekers.  They 

270 


By  Favor  of  the  Earthquake        271 

saw  the  hillside  yawn  there  in  an  awful  paroxysm, 
till  the  aperture  was  several  yards  wide.  Then, 
from  beneath,  there  shot  into  the  open,  smoking 
rocks,  debris  of  many  kinds,  and — something  else! 

Drew,  seeing  this  final  object,  shrieked  aloud. 
His  voice  could  not  be  heard  above  the  uproar,  but 
the  others  saw  his  mouth  agape,  and  struggled  to 
see  that  at  which  he  was  pointing  so  wildly. 

The  crevasse  closed  with  a  crash  and  jar  that 
rocked  the  whole  island.  It  was  the  final  throe  of 
the  volcano's  travail.  The  lurid  light  above  the 
crater  subsided.  The  dust  began  to  fall  thick  upon 
the  treasure  seekers  as  they  lay  upon  the  ground. 

They  sat  up,  dazed  and  horror-stricken.  It  was 
some  time  before  their  palsied  tongues  could  speak, 
and  when  they  did,  the  words  came  almost  In 
whispers. 

Drew  found  that  his  arm  was  around  Ruth.  She 
had  been  near  him  when  the  first  shock  came,  and 
he  had  seized  her  instinctively.  Now  he  turned 
to  her  and  asked : 

"You're  not  hurt,  are  you  Ruth?" 

"N — no,"  she  gasped,  "but  dreadfully  frightened! 
Oh,  let's  get  away  from  here !" 

She  realized  that  he  was  holding  her  and  drew 
away  with  a  faint  blush.  He  released  her  and  stag- 
gered to  his  feet. 

Tyke  and  the  captain  followed  suit,  and  the  three 
men  looked  at  each  other. 


272  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

''Now,  if  I  was  superstitious ''  began  Tyke  in 

a  quavering  voice. 

"Never  mind  any  'ifs'  just  now,"  interrupted  the 
captain.  "We've  got  to  get  away  from  here  just  as 
fast  as  the  good  Lord  will  let  us.  I  don't  believe 
in  tempting  Providence." 

"And  leave  the  doubloons?"  queried  Tyke,  in 
dismay. 

"Yes,  and  leave  the  doubloons,"  replied  the  cap- 
tain stubbornly.  "If  Ruth  weren't  here,  we  men 
might  take  a  chance,  but  my  daughter  is  worth 
more  to  me  than  all  the  pirate  gold  buried  in  the 
Caribbean." 

Drew,  if  inaudibly,  agreed  with  him.  "Let's  get 
Ruth  down  to  the  shore,  anyway,"  he  said.  "Then, 

if  you'll  come  back I  saw  something  just  at 

that  last  crash." 

"By  the  great  jib-boom!"  roared  Tyke,  "so  did  I. 
What  did  you  see,  Allen?  Something  shot  up  out 
o'  one  o'  them  pits  we  dug  yesterday.  I  saw  it. 
An'  it  wasn't  a  lava  boulder,  neither!" 

"You're  right,  there,"  Drew  agreed.  "It  was  a 
box  or  something.  Too  square-shaped  to  be  a 
rock." 

"We  can't  fool  with  it  now,"  Captain  Hamilton 
said,  with  determination,  though  his  eyes  sparkled. 
"Come,  Ruth.  I  must  get  you  down  to  the  boat." 

But  here  the  girl  exercised  a  power  of  veto.  "I 
don't  go  unless  the  rest  of  you  do — and  to  remain, 


By  Favor  of  the  Earthquake        273 

too,"  she  declared.  "I  am  not  a  child.  Of  course, 
I'm  afraid  of  that  volcano.  But  so  are  you  men. 
And  it's  all  over  now.  If  Allen  really  saw  some- 
thing that  looked  like  a  box  or  a  chest  thrown  out 
of  that  opening,  I'm  going  to " 

She  left  the  rest  unspoken,  but  started  boldly  for 
the  barren  patch  where  they  had  dug  the  day  be- 
fore. It  looked  now  like  a  piece  of  plowed  ground 
over  which  were  scattered  blocks  of  lava  of  all  sizes 
and  shapes. 

Captain  Hamilton  hesitated,  but  Drew  ran  ahead, 
reaching  the  spot  first.  Anxious  and  frightened  as 
he  had  been  at  the  moment  of  the  phenomenon,  the 
young  man  had  noted  exactly  the  spot  where  the 
strange  object  had  fallen.  Half  buried  in  a  heap 
of  earth  was  a  discolored,  splintered  chest.  Its  an- 
cient appearance  led  Drew  to  utter  a  shout  of 
satisfaction. 

"I  guess  we've  got  it,"  he  remarked  in  a  tone 
that  he  tried  to  keep  calm,  but  which  trembled  in 
spite  of  himself. 

A  cry  of  delight  rose  from  all.  The  men  joined 
Drew,  and  helped  him  clear  away  the  earth.  The 
chest  soon  stood  revealed.  Then  by  using  their 
spades  as  levers,  they  pried  it  loose  and  by  their 
united  efforts  dragged  it  over  to  the  shade  at  the 
jungle's  edge.  They  sat  beside  it  there,  panting, 
almost  too  exhausted  from  the  excitement  and  their 
tremendous  efforts  to  move  or  speak. 


274  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Ruth  fluttered  about  like  a  humming  bird,  excited 
and  eager.  She  looked  somewhat  less  disheveled 
and  begrimed  than  the  men.  But  if  they  looked  like 
trench  diggers,  they  felt  like  plutocrats,  and  their 
hearts  were  swelling  with  jubilation. 

The  map  had  not  lied !  The  paper  had  not  lied ! 
That  old  pirate,  Ramon  Alvarez,  who  had  prob- 
ably told  a  thousand  lies,  had  told  the  truth  at  last 
in  his  ardent  desire  for  the  shriving  of  Holy 
Church.  The  treasure  lay  before  them ! 

And  how  wonderfully  the  chest  had  been  revealed 
to  them !  Not  by  their  own  exertions  had  the  pirate 
hoard  been  uncovered! 

A  moment  more  and  they  were  on  their  feet, 
Tyke  panting: 

"Now,  if  I  was  superstitious 

They  would  have  plenty  of  time  for  resting  later 
on.  Now  a  fierce  impatience  consumed  them.  They 
must  see  the  contents  of  the  box ! 

The  chest  was  about  five  feet  long,  two  teet  wide 
and  three  feet  deep.  It  was  made  of  thick  oak,  and 
was  bound  by  heavy  bands  of  iron.  A  huge  pad- 
lock held  it  closed. 

The  box  had  originally  been  of  enormous 
strength,  but  time  and  nature  and  the  earthquake 
had  done  their  work.  The  wood  was  swollen  and 
warped,  the  iron  bands  were  eaten  with  rust.  But 
the  lock  resisted  their  efforts  when  they  sought  to 
lift  the  cover. 


By  Favor  of  the  Earthquake        275 

"Stand  clear!''  cried  Captain  Hamilton,  raising 
his  spade. 

He  struck  the  padlock  a  smashing  blow.  Then 
he  stooped  and  lifted  the  cover,  which  yielded 
groaningly. 

A  cry  burst  simultaneously  from  the  treasure 
seekers. 

"Gold!" 

"Doubloons!" 

"Jewels!" 

"Riches!" 

Priceless  treasures  heaped  in  careless  profusion, 
glinting,  glowing,  coruscating,  scintillating  threw 
back  in  splendor  the  rays  of  the  tropic  sun. 

None  of  them  could  remember  afterward  quite 
how  they  acted  in  those  first  few  minutes  of 
unchained  emotion.  But  they  laughed  and  sang, 
cheered  and  shouted,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before 
the  rioting  of  their  blood  ceased  and  they  regained 
a  measure  of  self-control. 

There  was  no  attempt  made  to  measure  the  value 
of  the  treasure  trove.  There  would  be  time  for  that 
later  on.  What  they  did  know  beyond  the  shadow 
of  a  doubt  was  that  wealth  enough  lay  before  them 
to  make  them  all  rich  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Gold  there  wras,  both  coined  and  melted  into  bars ; 
Spanish  doubloons,  Indian  rupees,  French  louis, 
English  guineas;  cups  and  candelabra;  chains  and 
watches ;  jewels  too,  in  whose  depths  flashed  rain- 


276  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

bow  hues,  amethysts,  rubies,  diamonds,  emeralds, 
strings  upon  strings  of  shimmering  pearls. 

The  discoverers  bathed  their  hands  in  the  golden 
store,  running  the  coins  in  sparkling  streams 
through  their  fingers,  all  the  time  feeling  that  they 
were  moving  in  a  dream  from  which  at  any  moment 
they  must  be  rudely  awakened. 

At  last  the  captain's  voice,  a  bit  husky  from  emo- 
tion, brought  them  back  to  practical  realities. 

"Well,  the  first  log  of  our  voyage  is  written  up," 
he  said.  "But  now  let's  get  down  to  the  question  of 
what  we're  to  do  next.  How  are  we  to  get  this 
stuff  aboard?" 

All  sobered  a  little  as  they  faced  the  problem. 

"We  can  take  the  chest  just  as  it  is,"  said  Tyke. 
"A  four-man  load,  though." 

"What  will  the  crew  think?"  Drew  asked  some- 
what anxiously. 

"Let  'em  think  and  be  hanged  to  'em!"  replied 
Captain  Hamilton.  "Yet,"  he  added  a  moment 
later,  "with  things  in  the  shaky  condition  they  are 
and  that  rascal,  Ditty,  planning  mischief,  we  don't 
want  to  take  too  many  chances." 

"Couldn't  we  make  a  number  of  trips  back  and 
forth  and  take  some  of  the  treasure  with  us  each 
time  until  we  got  it  all  on  board  ?"  suggested  Ruth. 
"We  could  carry  a  lot  in  our  clothes  and  we  could 
wrap  some  up  to  look  like  the  bundles  we  brought 
ashore." 


By  Favor  of  the  Earthquake        27? 

"Take  too  long,"  objected  her  father. 

"How  would  this  do?"  was  Drew's  contribution. 
"As  has  already  been  said,  the  men  would  be  sur- 
prised to  see  us  bring  a  box  aboard  if  they  hadn't 
first  seen  us  take  it  ashore.  Now,  suppose  we  take 
one  of  the  ship's  chests,  load  it  with  some  worth- 
less junk  that  would  make  it  as  heavy  as  this  box, 
and  bring  it  ashore.  We  could  bring  it  up  here, 
throw  away  the  contents,  put  the  treasure  in  it,  and 
then  call  on  the  men  to  take  it  back  to  the  ship. 
They'd  recognize  it  as  the  same  one  they'd  brought 
over,  and  their  thinking  would  stop  right  there." 

"By  Jove,  I  believe  you've  hit  it,  Allen!"  ex- 
claimed the  captain. 

"That  sounds  sensible,"  conceded  Tyke.  "I  guess 
it's  the  only  way." 

"Well,  now  that  that's  settled,"  went  on  the  cap- 
tain, "what  are  we  going  to  do  with  the  treasure 
in  the  meanwhile  ?  It's  getting  late  now.  We  can't 
get  it  aboard  to-day.  We'll  want  eight  men  besides 
Rogers.  Then,  there's  all  this  hardware,"  and  he 
indicated  the  firearms. 

"Couldn't  we  leave  it  just  where  it  is  until  we 
come  back  to-morrow?"  ventured  Ruth.  "There 
isn't  a  soul  on  the  island,  and  we'll  be  here  the  first 
thing  in  the  morning." 

"A  little  too  risky,  I'm  afraid,"  said  Tyke.  "It's 
dollars  to  doughnuts  that  there's  no  one  on  the 
island  but  ourselves  and  the  boat's  crew;  yet  we'd 


278  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

go  'round  kicking  ourselves  for  the  rest  of  our 
lives  if  we  found  to-morrow  that  some  one  had  been 
here  an'  helped  himself." 

"Let's  pile  some  of  these  loose  lava  blocks  on  top 
of  the  chest,"  said  Drew.  "Make  a  regular  mound. 
It  will  look  as  though  the  earthquake  had  done  it." 

That  plan  seemed  the  best,  and  they  acted  on  it. 
They  closed  the  cover  after  one  more  lingering, 
delighted  look  at  the  chest's  gleaming  contents,  then 
they  built  the  cairn. 

"One  sure  thing,"  observed  Tyke.  "There  isn't 
anybody  going  to  come  up  here  for  jest  a  little 
pleasure  jog — not  much!  That  volcano's  likely  to 
spit  again  'most  any  time." 

The  party  started  for  the  lagoon  with  their  hearts 
bounding  with  exultation.  But  as  they  entered  the 
forest  path  they  were  startled  by  the  sight  of  Rogers 
and  his  men  hastening  toward  them. 

The  captain  was  about  to  utter  a  rebuke,  but 
when  he  saw  the  pale  and  frightened  faces  of  the 
men  he  checked  his  tongue. 

"Well,  Mr.  Rogers,  what  is  it?"  he  asked.  "Got 
a  pretty  good  scare,  I  suppose,  like  the  rest  of  us. 
I  guess  the  quake's  all  over  now." 

"I  hope  so,  sir,"  replied  the  second  officer.  "I 
thought  sure  it  was  all  over  with  the  lot  of  us.  But 
it  isn't  that,  sir,  that  I  came  back  for.  The  boat's 
gone." 

"Gone!"  exclaimed  the  captain,  staring. 


"Yes,  sir.  It  must  have  pushed  away  from  the 
shore  when  the  earth  shook  so.  Just  down  here 
below  a  bit  is  a  place  where  you  can  see  the  lagoon, 
and  I  caught  sight  of  the  boat  about  half-way  be- 
tween the  shore  and  the  ship." 

"Oh  well,  if  that's  all,  there  isn't  any  great  harm 
done.  Mr.  Ditty  will  send  out  and  pick  up  the 
boat." 

"But  there's  something  else,  sir,"  went  on  the 
seaman  hoarsely.  "As  I  looked  out,  it  seemed  to  me, 
sir,  as  if  the  reef  had  closed  up  behind  the 
schooner." 

"What  ?"  roared  the  captain. 

"It's  gospel  truth  sir,"  persisted  the  second  offi- 
cer. "I  thought  at  first  I  must  be  dreaming.  But 
I  looked  carefully,  sir,  and  you  can  call  me  a  swab 
if  it  isn't  so!  I  couldn't  see  any  sign  at  all  of  the 
passage  where  we  came  in,  sir." 

The  captain's  bronzed  face  paled,  as  the  full  sig- 
nificance of  the  news  burst  upon  him. 

"Come  along  and  show  me  the  place  where  you 
can  see  the  schooner,"  he  commanded,  and  started 
to  run,  followed  by  the  whole  party. 

They  had  not  far  to  go.  At  a  place  where  the 
earthquake  had  rooted  out  a  monster  tree,  a  clear 
view  could  be  had  of  the  entire  lagoon. 

There  lay  the  Bertha  Hamilton,  straining  at  her 
cable  in  the  commotion  of  the  waters  that  had  been 
stirred  up  by  the  earthquake.  And  there  was  the 


280  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

small  boat  tossing  about  like  a  chip.  Bui  the  cap- 
tain wasted  not  a  second  glance  at  these.  He  had 
seized  his  binoculars  and  his  gaze  was  fixed  upon 
the  reef.  As  he  looked,  his  visage  became  ashen. 

The  passage  through  which  the  ship  had  come 
into  the  lagoon  was  entirely  closed! 

A  barrier  had  been  thrown  up  from  the  ocean 
floor,  and  this  completely  landlocked  the  lagoon  in 
which  the  schooner  rode  at  anchor.  The  lagoon 
had  welcomed  the  ship  as  though  with  extended 
arms.  Now  those  arms  were  closed  and  the  hands 
were  interlocked. 

The  captain  groaned  at  the  magnitude  of  the 
disaster. 

"Oh,  Daddy,  dear!"  cried  Ruth,  darting  to  his 
side.  "Don't  take  it  so  hard !  There'll  be  some  way 
out!" 

"Never!"  cried  the  captain.  "The  Bertha  Ham- 
ilton is  done  for.  There's  no  way  to  get  her  out. 
She'll  lie  there  now  until  she  rots." 

"And  we're  prisoners  on  this  island,"  gasped 
Drew. 

They  looked  at  each  other,  appalled.  This  last 
statement  seemed  to  be  irrefutable.  They  were  cap- 
tives on  the  island,  which  seemed  itself  to  be  in  the 
throes  of  dissolution. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

MUTINY 

DREW  was  the  first  to  rally  from  the  shock  of  this 
discovery. 

"It  is  a  terrible  situation,  God  knows,"  he  said. 
"And  I  know,  too,  Captain,  how  you  must  feel  the 
loss  of  the  schooner — if  it  is  lost.  But  there  may 
be  a  chance  left  of  releasing  her.  The  reef  looks 
solid  from  here,  but  when  you  get  close  to  it  there 
may  be  a  crevice  through  which  she  can  be  warped. 

"She  don't  draw  much  water  in  ballast,"  com- 
forted Tyke,  although  in  his  heart  he  had  little  hope. 
"An'  you've  got  some  giant  powder  on  board.  Per- 
haps we  can  blast  a  passage." 

The  captain  straightened  up  and  took  a  grip  on 
himself. 

"We  won't  give  up  without  a  fight,  anyway,"  he 
said;  and  Ruth  rejoiced  to  hear  the  old  militant  ring 
in  his  voice.  "The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  get  on 
board  the  ship.  Come  along  down  to  the  beach." 

The  others  hurried  after  him  as  fast  as  they 
could,  but,  owing  to  the  number  of  trees  that  had 
been  thrown  down,  their  progress  was  exasperat- 
ingly  slow.  But  even  in  the  turmoil  of  his  emotion, 
Drew  blessed  the  chance  that  made  it  possible  for 

281 


282  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

him  to  hold  Ruth's  arm,  and  in  some  especially 
difficult  places  to  lift  her  over  obstacles. 

They  reached  the  beach  and  the  captain  hailed  the 
ship.  Again  and  again  he  sent  his  voice  booming 
over  the  water,  and  the  others  supplemented  his 
efforts  by  waving  their  arms.  It  was  impossible 
that  they  should  not  have  been  heard  or  seen;  but 
the  Bertha  Hamilton  might  have  been  a  phantom 
vessel  for  all  the  response  that  was  evoked. 

The  captain  fumed  and  stormed  with  impatience. 

"What's  the  matter  with  those  swabs?"  he 
growled. 

"Ah!  now  they're  lowering  a  boat,"  cried  Drew. 

"They've  taken  their  time  about  it,"  growled  the 
captain. 

The  boat  put  out  from  the  side  and  headed  for 
the  beach.  When  half-way  there,  the  rowers  over- 
took the  captain's  boat  and  secured  it.  Then,  in- 
stead of  resuming  their  journey,  they  turned  delib- 
erately about  and  rowed  back.  The  boats  were  both 
hoisted  to  the  davits  and  quietness  again  reigned 
on  the  schooner. 

The  stupefied  spectators  on  the  beach  felt  as 
though  they  had  taken  leave  of  their  senses. 

"Well,  of  all  the "  raged  Captain  Hamilton, 

when  he  was  interrupted  by  the  sound  of  a  shot 
fired  on  the  schooner.  Two  others  followed  in 
quick  succession.  Then  came  a  roar  of  voices. 
A  moment  later  a  man  leaped  from  the  mizzen 


Mutiny  283 

shrouds  over  the  rail.  He  was  shot  in  midair,  and 
those  ashore  heard  his  shriek  as  he  threw  up  his 
arms  and  disappeared  in  the  still  heaving  waters  of 
the  lagoon. 

"Mutiny!"  roared  Captain  Hamilton. 

"Yes,"  echoed  Tyke;  "mutiny!" 

Horror  was  stamped  on  every  face.  One  blow 
had  been  succeeded  by  another  still  more  crushing. 
It  was  now  not  only  a  question  of  the  loss  of  the 
schooner.  Their  very  lives  might  be  threatened. 

"That  scoundrel,  Ditty !"  gasped  the  captain. 

"It's  too  bad  we  pulled  Allen  off  him  the  other 
day,"  ejaculated  Tyke  savagely.  "We  ought  to 
have  let  him  finish  the  job.'' 

"Thank  God  we've  got  the  weapons  anyway!" 
exclaimed  Captain  Hamilton. 

"Don't  think  that  he  hasn't  got  some  too," 
warned  Tyke.  "You  heard  those  shots.  No  doubt 
the  rascal's  got  all  the  guns  and  ammunition  he 
wants.  You  can  gamble  on  it  that  he  isn't  figuring 
on  fighting  us  with  his  bare  hands." 

The  captain  turned  to  Rogers  and  the  boat's  crew. 

"What  do  you  know  about  this,  Mr.  Rogers?"  he 
said  quietly.  "Can  we  count  on  you  ?" 

"That  you  can,  Captain,"  replied  Rogers  heartily. 
"I  only  know  what  I've  told  you  before,  sir." 

"And  how  about  you,  my  lads  ?"  Captain  Hamil- 
ton continued,  addressing  the  boat's  crew.  "Are 
you  going  to  stand  with  your  captain?" 


284  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

There  was  a  chorus  of  eager  assent.  Not  one  of 
them  flinched  or  wavered,  and  indignation  was  hot 
in  their  eyes. 

"Good !"  cried  the  captain  approvingly.  "I  knew 
you'd  sailed  with  me  too  long  to  desert  me  when  it 
came  to  a  pinch." 

"That  makes  ten  of  us  altogether,"  observed 
Tyke  Grimshaw. 

"Eleven,"  put  in  Ruth.  "Don't  forget  me." 

"Eleven,"  repeated  the  master  of  the  Bertha 
Hamilton,  looking  at  her  fondly.  "You're  a  true 
sailor's  daughter,  Ruth.  I'm  proud  of  you,  my 
dear." 

"Eleven,"  said  Drew.  "That  leaves  twenty-five 
on  the  ship,  including  Ditty." 

"Twenty' four,"  put  in  Tyke.  "There's  one  less 
than  there  was  a  few  minutes  ago." 

"Yes,"  agreed  the  captain  sadly.  "And  I've  no 
doubt  the  poor  fellow  was  killed  because  he 
wouldn't  join  the  rest  of  the  gang.  "Twenty-four, 
then.  That's  pretty  big  odds  against  eleven." 

"Beggin'  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  Barker,  who  was 
the  oldest  man  of  the  crew,  "but  there's  some  of  our 
mates  over  there  that  wouldn't  never  fight  on  the 
side  of  that  Bug-eye — meanin'  no  disrespect  to  the 
mate,  sir.  Whitlock  wouldn't  for  one,  nor  Gun- 
ther,  nor  Trent.  I'd  lay  to  that,  sir." 

"No,  sir,"  put  in  Thompson;  "an'  Ashley 
wouldn't  neither.  No  more  would  Sanders." 


Mutiny  285 

"I  believe  you,  my  lads,"  replied  the  captain. 
"They've  sailed  with  us  before.  But  even  if  they 
don't  fight  against  us,  they  can't  fight  with  us  as 
things  stand  now.  The  very  least  that  Ditty  will 
do  with  them  is  to  hold  them  prisoners  until  he's 
put  the  job  through." 

"But  he  isn't  going  to  put  it  through,"  cried 
Drew,  his  eyes  kindling. 

"Not  by  a  jug  full !"  declared  Tyke.  "But  we'll 
know  we've  been  in  a  fight,  I  s'pose,  before  we  can 
prove  that  to  him.  He's  put  his  head  in  the  noose 
now,  an'  he'll  be  desperate." 

"I  only  hope  I  get  a  chance  at  him  before  the 
hangman  does,"  muttered  Drew. 

"There's  not  much  to  be  done  until  those  fellows 
come  over  here,"  said  the  captain  reflectively. 
"We've  no  way  of  getting  out  there  to  the 
schooner.  This  thing  will  have  to  be  fought  out 
on  land." 

"Do  you  suppose  they'll  attack  us  right  away, 
or  try  to  starve  us  out?"  Drew  asked.  "They've  got 
the  advantage  in  having  provisions." 

"No  chance  of  starving  us,"  replied  Captain 
Hamilton.  "There's  plenty  of  fruit  here,  and  then 
there  are  birds  and  small  game.  I  saw  an  agouti 
run  by  a  little  while  ago." 

"Oh !  Why,  that's  a  rat,  Daddy !  Or  is  it  a  sort 
of  'possum?"  cried  Ruth,  with  a  shudder.  "And 
you  men  were  hinting  the  other  day  that  poor  Wah 


286  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Lee  might  serve  us  up  some  dainty  dish  like  that!" 
she  added  with  a  chuckle. 

"By  George !"  Tyke  suddenly  shouted.  "There's 
cookee  an'  the  steward!  We  forgot  them  in  our 
calculations.  How  about  'em,  Cap'n  Rufe?'' 

"Oh,  that's  so !"  cried  Ruth.  "That  little  Jap  boy 
never  would  turn  against  us,  surely !" 

"Nor  Wah  Lee,"  said  Captain  Hamilton  reflec- 
tively. 

"Neither  of  'em  would  be  much  good,"  remarked 
Tyke.  "You  know  how  them  critters  are — both 
Chinks  and  Japs.  Cold-blooded  as  fish.  They'll 
keep  on  cooking  for  the  mutineers  an'  serving  'em. 
It's  none  of  their  pidgin  whether  that  rascal,  Ditty, 
bosses  'em  or  you  are  at  the  helm,  Cap'n  Rufe." 

"Well,  I  expect  you're  right,"  agreed  Captain 
Hamilton.  "They're  poor  fish  to  fry.  We  can't 
count  on  them  to  supply  us  with  grub,  that's  sure," 
and  he  laughed  shortly. 

"An'  look  here!"  exclaimed  Tyke,  coming  back 
to  their  former  discussion.  "How  about  water? 
We  might  git  along  on  this  sulphur  water  for  a 
little  while,  but  we  couldn't  stand  it  long." 

"That's  a  little  more  serious,"  admitted  the  cap- 
tain. "But  we  can  get  milk  from  the  cocoanuts. 
There's  plenty  of  them.  And  there's  the  chance  of 
rain,  too. 

"But  I  don't  think  it  will  come  to  a  siege,"  he 
continued,  aside  to  Tyke.  "Ditty  will  figure  that 


Mutiny  287 

he's  got  to  have  quick  action.  He  knows  that  a  ves- 
sel of  some  kind  may  come  along  any  time,  and  then 
his  cake  will  be  dough.  Besides,  that  bunch  of 
rough-necks  will  be  impatient  for  the  loot  that  I've 
no  doubt  he's  promised  them." 

"Where  are  you  going  to  wait  for  him?"  asked 
Tyke. 

"Up  at  the  whale's  hump,"  replied  the  captain. 
"We  can  build  a  sort  of  fortification  there  that  will 
help  make  up  for  our  lack  of  numbers.  They'll  have 
to  come  out  of  the  woods  into  the  open  up  there, 
too.  We  might  wait  here  on  the  beach,  but  they 
could  keep  out  of  gunshot,  and  we  wouldn't  get  a 
decision.  They  can't  land  too  quick  to  suit  me." 

Acting  on  this  decision,  the  party  started  back 
at  once,  dropping  Rogers  by  the  way  at  the  ledge 
that  overlooked  the  sea,  so  that  he  could  bring  to 
them  a  report  of  any  action  taken  by  the  mutineers. 

Ruth's  presence  at  his  side  was  very  dear  to  Drew 
as  they  toiled  along,  but  he  was  deeply  apprehen- 
sive for  her  safety.  The  men  of  the  party  had  only 
death  to  fear  if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  but  his 
heart  turned  to  ice  as  he  thought  of  Ruth  left  wifh- 
out  protection  in  the  hands  of  the  mate  and  his 
gang. 

She  seemed  to  realize  his  thoughts,  for  she  looked 
up  at  him  bravely. 

"I  wish  I  had  the  carpet  of  Solomon  here,"  he 
said. 


288  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"Why?"  she  smiled. 

"I'd  put  you  on  it  and  have  you  whisked  off  to 
New  York  in  a  flash." 

"Suppose  I  refused  to  go  ?" 

"You  wouldn't." 

"I  would!  Why  should  I  go  to  New  York?  All 
whom  I  love  are  here." 

"Here?"  he  breathed  eagerly. 

"Surely.     I  love  my  father  dearly.'' 

"Oh!"  he  said  disappointedly. 

"You  don't  seem  to  approve  of  filial  devotion," 
she  observed,  darting  a  mischievous  look  at  him 
from  under  her  long  lashes. 

"It's  a  beautiful  thing,"  he  answered  promptly. 
"But  there's  another  kind  that " 

"We'd  better  hurry,"  the  girl  broke  in  hastily. 
"We're  letting  them  get  too  far  ahead  of  us.'' 

They  hastened  on,  and  the  words  that  were  on 
Drew's  lips  remained  unspoken. 

After  all,  he  thought  to  himself  as  the  old  bitter 
memory,  forgotten  in  the  excitement,  came  back  to 
him,  it  was  better  so.  They  must  not  be  spoken. 
They  never  could  be  spoken  while  he  was  under 
the  awful  cloud  of  suspicion.  The  love  that  had 
grown  until  it  absorbed  all  his  life  must  be  ruth- 
lessly crushed  under  foot. 

The  party  emerged  upon  the  slope  of  the  whale's 
hump.  Nothing  had  disturbed  the  cairn  they  had 
built  over  the  treasure  chest,  nor  were  the  rifles 


Mutiny  289 

and  tools  displaced.  Captain  Hamilton's  decision 
to  make  the  stand  here  was  admittedly  a  wise  one. 
Here  was  enough  lava  rubbish  to  build  a  dozen 
forts. 

"Jest  the  spot,"  Tyke  said  vigorously,  waving  his 
hand  in  the  direction  of  the  heap  of  lava  blocks  that 
hid  the  pirate's  chest.  "What  do  you  say,  Cap'n 
Rufe?  Shall  we  make  that  pile  o'  rocks  the  corner 
of  our  breastworks?'' 

"Good  idea,  Tyke,"  agreed  the  captain.  "But 
pass  guns  around  first,  boys.  All  of  you  can  han- 
dle a  rifle,  I  suppose?" 

"Aye  aye,  sir,"  said  Barker,  "you'd  better  be- 
lieve we  kin." 

"If  it  comes  to  bullets,"  said  Captain  Hamilton, 
"those  swabs  will  be  so  near  to  us  we  can  scarcely 
miss  'em.  That  is,  if  they  come  out  of  the  jungle." 

"Suppose  they  circle  around  and  come  at  us  from 
above?"  Drew  suggested. 

"We'll  build  a  circular  fort,  by  gosh!"  cried 
Tyke.  "An'  build  the  back  higher'n  the  front. 
How  about  it,  Cap'n  Rufe?  Then  if  them  swabs 
climb  the  hill  to  git  the  better  of  us,  they  can't  shoot 
over." 

"You're  right,  Tyke,"  agreed  the  master  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton. 

"I  don't  belive,"  said  Drew,  "that  Ditty  and  the 
men  have  many  firearms.  Nothing  like  these  high- 
powered  rifles,  that's  sure." 


290          Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"That's  so,  Drew,  I'm  sure"  said  the  captain 
promptly.  "Now,  boys,  get  to  work,"  he  added. 
"Roll  'em  down!  Here,  Barker,  you're  chantey- 
man.  Set  'em  the  pace." 

Weirdly,  echoing  back  from  the  wall  of  the  jun- 
gle and  hollowly  from  the  hillside,  the  improvised 
chantey  was  raised  by  Barker,  and  the  chorus  line 
taken  up  by  the  other  seamen  as  though  they  were 
jerking  aloft  the  schooner's  topsails. 

"Oh,  Bug-eye's  dead  an'  gone  below, 

Oh,  we  says  so,  an'  we  hopes  so ; 
Oh,  Bug-eye's  dead  an'  he'll  go  below 
Oh,  poor — ol' — man! 

"He's  deader'n  the  bolt  on  the  fo'c'sle  door, 

Oh,  we  says  so,  an'  we  hopes  so; 
Oh,  he'll  never  knock  us  flat  no  more, 
Oh,  poor — ol' — man!" 

Under  the  impetus  of  this  dirge  with  its  innumer- 
able verses  the  men  rolled  the  boulders  down.  The 
fortification  began  to  take  form  and  give  promise 
of  shelter  in  time  of  need. 

And  there  was  no  telling  how  soon  that  time 
might  come! 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE    FLAG    OF   TRUCE 

THE  seamen  rolled  the  larger  boulders  to  the  line 
Tyke  indicated.  Captain  Hamilton  himself  and 
Drew  chocked  the  interstices  between  the  larger 
blocks  with  broken  lava.  A  chance  bullet  might  slip 
through  into  the  fort,  but  under  a  rain  of  lead 
those  within  the  fortification  would  be  fairly  well 
protected. 

In  two  hours,  and  not  long  before  sunset,  the 
work  was  finished.  Facing  the  jungle,  from  which 
the  expected  attack  would  come,  if  at  all,  the  wall 
was  breast  high;  in  the  rear,  it  rose  higher  so  that 
no  man  unless  he  stood  fairly  in  the  lip  of  the  crater 
above,  could  shoot  over  the  barrier. 

"And  take  it  from  me,"  said  Tyke  Grimshaw, 
"those  bums  ain't  going  to  run  their  legs  off  to  reach 
the  top  of  this  volcano.  They're  scared  to  death 
of  it." 

"And  our  own  boys  aren't  much  better,"  muttered 
Captain  Hamilton.  "See  'em  looking  over  their 
shoulders  now  and  again?  They're  expecting  a 
shoot-off  any  minute." 

"Well,"  the  older  man  agreed,  "that  may  be  so. 
But  it  strikes  me  that  the  volcano  and  the  earth- 
quakes have  been  mighty  helpful  to  its.  Now,  if 

I  was  superstitious " 

291 


292  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"How  about  locking  my  schooner  in  that  blasted 
lagoon?"  growled  the  master  of  the  Bertha  Hamil- 
ton. "This  island  is  hoodooed,  I've  half  a  mind  to 
believe." 

Next  the  rifles  and  revolvers  were  carefully 
cleaned  and  loaded,  and  the  ammunition  distributed. 

"How  are  we  off  for  cartridges?"  Drew  asked. 

"None  too  well,"  answered  the  captain.  "If  these 
fellows  were  sure  shots,  there'd  probably  be  all  we'd 
need.  But  they'll  waste  a  lot.  I've  got  several  hun- 
dred in  a  box  under  my  berth — and  clips  for  the 
automatics,  too.  I  certainly  wish  I'd  brought  'em 
along." 

"S'pose  Ditty's  gobbled  'em?"  inquired  Grim- 
shaw. 

"I  don't  think  he'd  find  them.  But  they're  no 
good  to  us  now,"  groaned  the  captain. 

At  this  moment  Rogers  came  hurrying  up. 

"They're  putting  off  from  the  ship,"  he  reported 
breathlessly. 

"How  many  of  them?"  asked  the  captain. 

"Ten  in  the  longboat  and  seven  in  the  other,"  was 
the  answer. 

"Seventeen  in  all,"  mused  the  captain.  "I  won- 
der where  the  rest  are." 

"Probably  dead  or  prisoners,"  put  in  Tyke.  "The 
men  who  wouldn't  join  him  he's  likely  killed  or 
triced  up  an'  left  'em  under  guard  of  one  or  two  of 
the  gang." 


The  Flag  of  Truce  293 

"That's  probably  so,"  agreed  the  master  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton.  "Well,  that  reduces  the  odds 
somewhat ;  but  they're  heavy  enough  just  the  same. 
We'll  have  action  now  'most  any  time." 

They  had  been  so  excited  and  absorbed  in  their 
preparations  that  they  had  not  thought  of  food. 
Now  the  captain  insisted  upon  their  eating  what 
Wah  Lee  had  put  up  for  them  that  morning.  But 
he  portioned  out  water  from  the  cask  very  spar- 
ingly. 

Another  hour  passed,  and  still  they  heard  no 
tread  of  approaching  feet.  It  would  soon  be  dark. 
But  suddenly  they  were  startled  when  a  voice  hailed 
them.  It  came  from  the  direction  of  a  big  ceiba 
tree  a  hundred  yards  down  the  forest  path. 

"Ahoy,  there!" 

"Ahoy,  yourself!"  shouted  back  the  captain. 

A  stick  was  thrust  from  behind  the  tree.  A 
white  cloth  was  tied  to  the  end  of  it. 

"This  is  Ditty  talkm,"  came  the  voice. 

"I  know  it  is,  you  scoundrel,"  roared  the  captain. 

"No  hard  words,  Cap'n,"  came  the  answer.  "It'll 
only  be  the  worse  for  you.  I  want  to  have  a  confab 
with  you." 

"Come  along  then  and  say  your  say,"  replied 
Captain  Hamilton. 

"You  won't  shoot?" 

"Not  you,"  promised  the  captain.  "I  hope  to  see 
you  hung  later  on." 


294  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"No  tricks,  now,"  said  Ditty  cautiously 

"I  said  I  wouldn't  and  that's  enough,"  responded 
the  captain.  "You  can  take  it  or  leave  it." 

The  mate  emerged  fully  from  behind  the  tree  and 
came  into  the  open  space.  At  fifty  paces  from  the 
fortress  he  halted. 

"There's  guns  coverin'  you  from  behind  them 
trees,  if  anything  happens  to  me,"  he  said  in  further 
warning. 

"I  don't  wonder  you  think  that  every  man's  a 
liar,  Ditty,"  the  captain  replied  bitterly.  "You 
judge  them  out  of  your  own  black  heart.  Now, 
what  do  you  want  ?  Why  have  you  seized  my  ship  ? 
Why  have  you  killed  one  of  my  men?" 

"I  hain't  seized  your  ship,"  answered  Ditty  sul- 
lenly. "You  left  me  in  charge  of  it.  An'  I  didn't 
kill  any  of  your  men.  Sanders  got  drunk  an'  fell 
overboard." 

"Don't  lie  to  me,  you  rascal,"  returned  the  cap- 
tain. "We  heard  the  shooting  and  saw  the  man 
shot  as  he  leaped  overboard.  You'll  hang  for  that 
yet,  if  I  don't  kill  you  first.  You're  a  bloody  muti- 
neer and  you  know  it.  Now  stow  your  lies  and  get 
to  the  point.  What  do  you  want  ?" 

"We  want  them  doubloons !"  fairly  shouted  Ditty, 
stung  by  the  captain's  contempt,  "an'  we're  goin'  to 
have  'em." 

"Doubloons?  What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the 
captain. 


The  Flag  of  Truce  295 

"The  treasure  you  come  here  to  dig  for,"  an- 
swered Ditty.  "You  can't  fool  me.  I've  been  on  to 
your  little  game  ever  since  before  the  schooner  left 
New  York.  I  got  sharp  ears,  I  have,"  pursued  the 
mate,  his  one  eye  gleaming  balefully  as  he  looked  at 
the  heads  above  the  line  of  the  breastwork.  "I  know 
you  found  a  map  an'  some  sort  of  a  paper  what 
explained  about  that  old  pirate  treasure.  It  was 
in  a  sailorman's  chest  in  Tyke  Grimshaw's  office. 
Like  enough  Tyke  stole  it  from  the  poor  feller.  An' 
I  heard  you  tellin'  Miss  Ruth  about  it  that  night  at 
dinner,"  he  added,  with  a  leering  glance  at  the 
pale-faced  girl. 

"So  that's  why  you  shipped  me  such  a  lot  of 
scum  and  riffraff,  was  it,  you  villain?"  Captain 
Hamilton  asked. 

"You  can  think  as  you  like  about  that,"  answered 
Ditty.  "But  this  here  kind  of  chinning  won't  git 
us  anywhere.  I  know  all  about  the  map  and  that 
paper,  an'  I  know  that  you  come  here  lookin'  for 
that  loot.  An'  I  bet  you've  found  it  a'ready.  Now, 
to  put  it  short  an'  sweet,  me  an'  my  mates  want  it." 

"Suppose  you  got  it?"  parleyed  the  master  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton.  "It  wouldn't  do  you  any  good. 
The  schooner  is  landlocked  and  can't  get  away." 

"Even  so  it'll  do  us  as  much  good  as  it  will  you," 
countered  Ditty.  "We've  got  the  longboat  an'  we 
can  easily  make  one  of  the  islands  near  by  where 
we  can  find  a  ship  to  take  us  to  the  States." 


296  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"And  suppose  I  have  the  treasure  and  refuse  to 
give  it  to  you?"  pursued  the  captain. 

"Then  we'll  take  it!"  threatened  Ditty,  his  one 
eye  glowing  with  malevolence.  "We'll  take  it  if 
we  have  to  kill  every  last  one  of  you  to  git  it ! 

"Hey!  Barker!  Olsen!  The  rest  of  you  bullies !" 
he  added,  raising  his  voice,  "you  know  blamed 
well  the  after-guard  won't  do  nothin'  for  you  fellers 
but  let  you  git  shot.  You  better  come  with  us. 

"We're  nearly  two  to  one,  anyway,  an'  you've  got 
no  chance,"  he  added  to  Captain  Hamilton. 

"We  haven't,  eh  ?"  exploded  the  captain,  his  pent- 
up  rage  finding  vent.  "Do  your  worst,  you  black- 
hearted hound !  And  if  you're  not  behind  that  tree 
in  one  minute,  may  God  have  mercy  on  your  soul !" 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

A   DARING    VENTURE 

WITH  an  expression  of  baffled  rage  convulsing 
his  features,  Ditty  turned  and  made  for  shelter. 
Once  safely  there,  he  hurled  back  the  wildest  threats 
and  imprecations.  So  vile  they  were  that  Ruth 
shuddered  and  put  her  hands  to  her  ears. 

"I  said  I'd  kill  you  all!"  the  mate  shouted.  "I'll 
take  that  back.  I'll  kill  all  but  one !" 

The  threat  was  easily  understood.  Captain  Ham- 
ilton's face  went  white,  and  he  glanced  hastily  at 
Ruth.  But  he  only  said: 

"Keep  down  out  of  sight,  men.  They  know 
where  we  are,  but  we  don't  know  where  they  are. 
They  may  try  to  rush  us,  but  I  don't  think  they 
will  at  first.  Aim  carefully  and  shoot  at  anything 
that  offers  a  fair  target,  but  don't  waste  the 
ammunition." 

He  had  hardly  finished  speaking  belore  there 
came  a  volley,  and  the  bullets  pattered  against  the 
rocks.  They  came  from  several  directions.  Ditty 
had  arranged  his  men  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle. 
They  had  ample  cover,  and  the  only  chance  for  the 
besieged  lay  in  the  chance  that  one  of  the  enemy 
should  protrude  his  head  or  shoulder  too  lar  from 
behind  his  tree. 

297 


298  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Many  times  in  the  next  hour  the  fusilade  was 
repeated  It  was  plain  that  the  mutineers  were 
armed  only  with  pistols. 

"Probably  Ditty  laid  in  a  stock  before  he  left 
New  York,"  the  captain  muttered  to  Tyke.  "Auto- 
matics, too '' 

"His  ammunition  won't  last  long  if  he  keeps 
wasting  it  this  way,"  replied  Tyke.  "An'  an  auto- 
matic ain't  always  a  sure  shot." 

Just  then  a  cry  from  Olsen  showed  that  the  muti- 
neers' cartridges  had  not  been  wholly  wasted.  A 
bullet  had  caught  the  Swede  in  the  shoulder.  He 
dropped,  groaning. 

Ruth  was  by  his  side  in  an  instant.  She  bound 
up  his  wound  as  best  she  could,  and,  putting  a  coat 
beneath  his  head,  made  him  as  comfortable  as 
possible. 

"One  knocked  out,"  muttered  the  captain.  "I 
wonder  who'll  be  the Ah!  Good  boy,  Al- 
len!" he  cried  delightedly. 

One  of  the  enemy  had  thrown  up  his  hands  and, 
with  a  yell,  had  crashed  heavily  to  the  ground.  He 
lay  there  without  motion. 

"Leaned  his  head  out  a  little  too  far,"  remarked 
Drew  composedly.  "That  was  the  cockney, 
Bingo." 

"An'  a  dirty  rat,"  Tyke  said  grimly.  "That 
evens  up  the  score." 

"Not  exactly,"  replied  Drew.    "We'll  have  to  pot 


A  Daring  Venture  299 

two  of  them  to  every  one  they  get,  to  keep  the  score 
straight.  And  they'll  be  more  careful  now  about 
exposing  themselves." 

He  was  right;  for  in  the  short  moments  of  day- 
light that  remained  they  lessened  no  further  the 
number  of  their  foes.  Nor  did  any  bullet  find  its 
billet  in  the  body  of  any  of  the  besieged.  But  one 
ball  knocked  a  splinter  from  a  rock  and  drove  it 
against  the  knuckles  of  Binney's  right  hand,  making 
it  difficult  for  him  to  use  his  rifle. 

Now  darkness  fell,  and  the  enemy  seemed  to  have 
withdrawn. 

"The  real  fight  will  come  to-morrow,"  prophesied 
Captain  Hamilton.  "This  was  only  a  skirmish  to 
feel  us  out." 

"Do  you  think  they'll  try  to  do  anything  to- 
night?" asked  Drew  thoughtfully. 

"I  don't  believe  so,"  was  the  reply;  "but  we'll  post 
sentinels,  and  if  they  come  they  won't  take  us  by 
surprise." 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,"  the  captain  went  on,  "I 
wish  they  would  adopt  rushing  tactics.  Then  they'd 
be  out  in  the  open  and  we  could  get  a  good  crack 
at  them.  As  it  is,  we're  concentrated  and  they're 
scattered,  and  their  bullets  have  a  better  chance  than 
ours  of  finding  a  mark.  These  sniping  methods  are 
all  in  their  favor,  if  Ditty  has  sense  enough  to  stick 
to  them." 

"They've    gained    already    by    this    afternoon's 


300  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

work,"  pondered  Tyke.  "When  they  started  in  we 
were  seventeen  to  'leven.  Now,  as  far  as  we  know, 
they're  sixteen  to  our  nine,  for  neither  Olsen  nor 
Binney's  what  you  might  call  able-bodied.  The 
odds  are  getting  bigger  against  us." 

"All  the  ammunition  we  have  spent  has  accounted 
for  only  one  man,"  added  the  captain.  "Their 
cover  has  served  'em  well.  And  our  ammunition  is 
short.  I  figure  out  that  we  haven't  much  more  than 
thirty  cartridges  apiece  left  for  the  rifles.  That 
won't  last  us  long." 

"Why  not  dash  out  and  charge  them  ?"  suggested 
Drew. 

"We  will  when  our  cartridges  get  low,"  agreed 
the  captain.  "But  I'm  hoping  they'll  charge  us 
first  in  the  morning.  We  could  drop  a  bunch  of  'em 
before  they  closed  in  on  us,  and  then  we'd  have  a 
better  chance  in  hand-to-hand  righting." 

After  dark  the  captain  posted  three  men  some 
distance  within  the  forest,  with  the  promise  that 
they  should  be  relieved  at  midnight  and  with  strict 
injunctions  to  keep  a  vigilant  watch  and  report  to 
him  at  once  should  anything  seem  suspicious. 

Rogers  was  delegated  to  make  his  way  down  to 
the  beach,  where  it  was  supposed  the  mutineers 
would  encamp  for  the  night,  to  see  if  he  could  gain 
any  information  as  to  their  plan  of  attack  on  the 
morrow. 

To  Ruth  this  whole  situation  was  a  most  terrify- 


A  Daring  Venture  301 


•ft 


ing  one;  but  nobody  displayed  more  bravery  than 
she. 

She  had  attended  to  the  two  wounded  men  skil- 
fully. She  had  been  obliged  to  arrange  a  tourniquet 
on  Olsen's  shoulder,  or  the  man  would  have  bled 
to  death;  and  she  had  done  this  as  well  as  a  more 
practised  nurse.  The  wound  was  a  clean  one,  the 
bullet  having  bored  right  through  the  shoulder. 

Binney's  wound  was  merely  painful,  and  he  could 
not  use  his  rifle  effectively.  But  he  could  handle 
an  automatic  with  his  left  hand. 

The  departure  of  the  mutineers  and  the  coming 
of  night  released  their  minds  and  hearts  from  anxi- 
ety to  a  certain  degree.  Night  fowls  in  the  forest 
shouted  their  raucous  notes  back  and  torth,  and 
there  were  some  squealings  and  gruntings  at  the 
edge  of  the  jungle  that  betrayed  the  presence  of 
certain  small  animals  that  might  add  to  their  bill 
of  fare  could  they  but  capture  them. 

"We'll  forage  for  grub  to-morrow,"  said  Cap- 
tain Hamilton.  "It's  too  dark  to-night  to  tell  what 
you  were  catching,  even  if  you  went  after  those 
creatures.  Ruth  says  she  doesn't  want  agouti 
because  they're  too  much  like  rats ;  but  maybe  there 
are  creatures  like  polecats  here — and  they'd  be  a 
whole  lot  worse." 

A  daring  idea  came  into  Drew's  mind,  but  he 
did  not  mention  it  to  Tyke  or  the  captain  because 
he  felt  sure  that  they  would  not  approve.  He 


302  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

acknowledged  to  himself  that  it  was  a  forlorn  hope, 
but  he  knew,  too,  that  forlorn  hopes  often  won  by 
their  very  audacity. 

He  knew  that  the  moon  rose  late  that  night,  and 
as  darkness  was  essential  to  the  execution  of  his 
plan,  he  rose  shortly  and  said : 

"Think  I'll  go  out  and  do  a  little  scouting  on  my 
own  account." 

The  captain  looked  at  him  in  some  surprise. 

"Well,"  he  said  slowly,  "we  can't  get  any  too 
much  information ;  but  we're  fearfully  short  of  men, 
and  you're  the  best  shot  we  have.  Better  be 
careful." 

"Yes,  do  be  careful,  Allen!"  exclaimed  Ruth. 
"For  my  sake,"  she  added  in  a  whisper. 

"Do  you  care  very  much?"  he  responded,  in  the 
same  tone. 

"Care!"  she  repeated  softly.  It  was  only  one 
word,  but  it  was  eloquent  and  her  eyes  were  sus- 
piciously moist. 

He  pressed  her  hand  and  she  did  not  try  to  with- 
draw it. 

"I'll  be  careful,"  he  promised,  releasing  it  at  last. 
Another  moment  and  he  had  surmounted  the  bar- 
rier and  was  swallowed  up  in  the  gloom  of  the 
forest. 

From  his  repeated  trips  over  the  trail,  Drew  had 
a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  locality,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  fallen  trees  that  had  been  torn  up  by  the 


A  Daring  Venture  303 

cataclysm  of  the  morning,  he  would  have  had  little 
difficulty  in  gaining  the  beach.  But  again  and  again 
he  had  to  make  long  detours,  and  as  the  darkness 
was  intense  he  had  to  rely  entirely  on  his  sense  of 
of  touch;  so  his  progress  was  slow. 

Nearly  two  hours  elapsed  before  he  caught  sight 
of  a  light  beyond  the  trees  that  he  thought  must 
come  from  the  campfire  of  the  mutineers.  He  crept 
forward  with  exceeding  care,  for  at  any  moment 
he  might  stumble  over  some  sentinel.  But,  with 
the  lack  of  discipline  that  usually  accompanies  such 
lawless  ventures  and  relying  upon  their  preponder- 
ance in  numbers,  the  mutineers  had  neglected  such 
a  precaution. 

With  the  stealth  of  an  Indian  on  a  foray,  Drew 
approached  the  beach  until  he  was  not  more  than  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  fire.  There  he  sheltered 
himself  behind  a  massive  tree  trunk  and  surveyed 
the  scene. 

He  saw  Rogers  nowhere  about.  The  mutineers 
had  made  a  great  fire  of  driftwood,  more  for  its 
cheerful  effect  than  for  any  other  reason,  for  the 
night  was  oppressively  warm.  At  some  distance 
from  it  the  men  were  sitting  or  lying  in  sprawling 
attitudes.  Some  were  sleeping,  some  singing, 
while  one  tall  man,  whom  Drew  recognized  as  Ditty, 
was  engaged  in  earnest  conversation  with  two 
others,  probably  his  lieutenants. 

Drew  counted  them  twice  to  make  sure  there  was 


304          Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

no  mistake.  There  were  sixteen  in  all.  Only  one, 
then,  had  been  accounted  for  that  afternoon.  And 
there  were  but  nine  able-bodied  men  in  the  fort, 
counting  Binney  as  able-bodied. 

Sixteen  to  nine !  Nearly  two  to  one !  And  men 
who  would  fight  desperately  because  in  joining  this 
mutiny  they  knew  that  they  stood  in  peril  of  the 
hangman's  noose  or  the  electric  chair. 

Drew's  resolution  hardened.  The  fire  cast  a  wide 
zone  of  light  on  the  beach  and  the  surrounding 
water.  But  over  the  eastern  end  of  the  lagoon 
darkness  hung  heavily.  Keeping  in  the  shelter  of 
the  palms,  he  went  northward,  following  the  con- 
tour of  the  lagoon  until  he  reached  the  point  where 
vegetation  ceased  and  the  reef  began. 

Although  this  reef  was  volcanic  (indeed  the 
whole  island  had  undoubtedly  been  thrown  up  from 
the  floor  of  the  sea  by  some  subterranean  convul- 
sion in  ages  past),  the  coral  insects  had  been  at 
work  adding  to  the  strength  of  the  lagoon's  barriers. 
The  recent  quake  that  had  lifted  the  reef  had 
ground  much  of  this  coral-work  to  dust.  Drew 
found  himself  wading  ankle  deep  in  it  as  he 
approached  the  water. 

The  little  waves  lapped  at  his  feet.  There  was  a 
shimmering  glow  on  the  surface  of  the  lagoon,  as 
there  always  is  upon  moving  water.  Outside,  the 
surf  sighed,  retreated,  advanced,  and  again  sighed, 
in  unchanging  and  ceaseless  rotation. 


A  Daring  Venture  305 

Drew  disrobed  slowly.  He  could  not  see  the 
schooner,  but  he  knew  about  where  she  lay.  Indeed, 
he  could  hear  the  water  slapping  against  her  sides 
and  the  creaking  of  her  blocks  and  stays.  She  was 
not  far  off  the  shore. 

And  yet  he  hesitated  before  wading  in.  He  was 
a  good  swimmer,  and  the  water  was  warm;  the 
actual  getting  to  the  schooner  did  not  trouble  his 
mind  in  the  least.  But,  as  he  scanned  tne  surface 
of  the  lagoon,  there  was  a  phosphorescent  Hash  sev- 
eral fathoms  out.  Was  it  a  leaping  fish,  or 

His  eyes  had  become  accustomed  to  the  semi- 
darkness.  Drifting  in  was  some  object — a  small, 
three-cornered,  sail-like  thing.  Another  flash  of 
phosphorescence,  and  the  triangular  fin  disappeared. 

Drew  shuddered  as  he  stood  naked  at  the  water's 
edge.  He  could  not  fail  to  identify  the  creature. 
Something  besides  the  Bertha  Hamilton  had  been 
shut  in  the  lagoon  by  the  rising  reef. 

"And  I  venture  to  say  that  that  shark  is  mighty 
hungry,  too — unless  he  found  poor  Sanders,"  mut- 
tered the  shivering  Drew. 

He  then  waded  into  the  water. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  BATTLE  IN  THE  FORECASTLE 

MAKING  as  little  disturbance  as  possible,  Drew 
sank  to  his  armpits  in  the  pellucid  waters,  and  then 
began  to  swim.  He  believed  the  shark  had  started 
briskly  for  some  other  point  in  the  lagoon ;  but  he 
knew  the  eyes  of  the  creature  were  sharp. 

All  about  him,  as  the  young  man  moved  through 
the  water,  there  were  millions  of  tiny  organisms 
that  would  betray  his  presence,  as  they  had  the 
shark's,  at  the  first  ripple.  These  minute  infuso- 
rians  would  glow  with  the  pale  gleam  oi  phospho- 
rescence if  the  water  were  ruffled.  Theretore,  he 
had  to  swim  carefully  and  slowly,  when  each  second 
his  nerves  cried  out  for  rapid,  panic-stricken  action. 

He  came  at  last  to  the  schooner's  stern  without 
mishap.  He  could  see  her  tall  hull  and  taller  spars 
above  him.  There  was  no  light  in  the  after  part  of 
the  vessel ;  nor  was  there  even  a  riding  light.  The 
mutineers  whom  Ditty  had  left  aboard  had  evidently 
thrown  off  all  discipline. 

Finding  no  line  hanging  from  the  rail  aft,  Drew 
swam  around  the  schooner  to  her  bows.  Here  was 
the  anchor  chain,  and  up  this  he  clambered  nimbly 
to  the  rail.  » 

306 


The  Battle  in  the  Forecastle         307 

Cautiously  he  raised  his  head  above  the  rail  and 
looked  about  him.  There  was  a  light  in  the  fore- 
castle, but  most  of  the  deck  was  in  deep  shadow. 
Very  slowly  he  pulled  himself  inboard  and  dropped 
down  in  the  bows.  Then,  on  hands  and  knees  and 
avoiding  any  spot  of  light,  he  crept  noiselessly 
toward  the  forecastle  and  looked  in. 

By  the  light  of  the  lamp  swinging  in  its  gimbals, 
he  could  see  five  men  seated  on  the  floor  with  their 
hands  tied  behind  them.  At  a  little  distance  two 
other  men  were  seated,  both  with  revolvers  thrust 
in  their  belts. 

The  nearest  of  the  guards  was  talking  at  the 
moment,  and  Drew  easily  heard  what  was  said. 

"You're  a  bloomin'  fool,  I  tell  you,  Trent,"  he 
was  saying  to  one  of  the  prisoners.  "Ditty  has  got 
the  old  man  dead  to  rights.  The  after-guard  hain't 
got  the  ghost  of  a  chance.  You'd  better  pitch  in  an 
take  your  luck  along  with  the  rest  of  us." 

"You're  a  lot  of  bloody  murderers,"  growled  the 
one  addressed,  "and  you'll  swing  for  this  business 
yet." 

"Not  as  much  chance  of  our  swingin'  as  there  is 
of  you  gittin'  what  Sanders  got,"  retorted  the  other. 
"He's  'bout  eat  up  by  the  sharks  by  this  time.  An' 
when  Ditty  comes  back  with  the  loot,  he  ain't  goin' 
to  let  you  live  to  peach  on  'im.  No,  siree,  he  ain't. 
Dead  men  tell  no  tales." 

Drew  waited  no  longer.    He  had  no  weapon  with 


308  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

him,  not  even  a  knife.  But  he  counted  on  the  ad- 
vantage of  surprise.  He  gathered  himself  to- 
gether, and,  with  the  agility  of  a  panther,  leaped 
upon  the  shoulders  of  the  man  seated  beneath  him. 
They  went  to  the  deck  with  a  crash.  The  fellow 
was  stunned  by  the  shock,  and  lay  motionless;  but 
Drew  was  on  his  feet  in  a  second. 

The  other  mutineer  leaped  up,  but  when  he  saw 
the  white  and  dripping  figure  of  the  unexpected 
visitor  he  dropped  the  automatic  and  fell  back 
against  the  mess  table,  shaking  and  with  his  hands 
before  his  eyes. 

"It's  a  ghost!"  yelled  Trent,  no  less  frightened 
than  the  others,  but  more  voluble.  "It's  Sanders 
been  an'  boarded  us !" 

The  prisoners,  crowded  together  on  the  deck  of 
the  forecastle,  glared  at  the  apparition  of  the  naked 
man  in  horror.  After  all,  the  mutineer  had  the 
most  courage. 

"Blast  my  eyes !"  he  suddenly  shouted.  "Sanders 
wasn't  never  so  big  as  him ;  'nless  he's  growed  since 
he  was  sent  to  the  sharks." 

He  sprang  forward  to  peer  into  Drew's  face.  The 
latter's  fist  shot  out  and  landed  resoundingly  on  the 
fellow's  jaw. 

"Nor  he  don't  hit  like  Sanders,  by  mighty!" 
yelled  the  fellow.  "Nor  like  no  ghost.  It's  that 
blasted  Drew — I  knows  'im  now." 

"And  you're   going  to   know   more   about  me 


The  Battle  in  the  Forecastle         309 

directly,"  said  Drew,  between  his  teeth,  following 
the  fellow  up  for  a  second  blow. 

But  the  mutineer  had  recovered  himself,  both  in 
mind  and  body.  He  was  a  big,  beefy  chap,  weigh- 
ing fifty  pounds  heavier  than  Drew,  despite  the 
latter's  bone  and  muscle.  No  man,  no  matter  how 
well  he  can  spar,  can  afford  to  give  away  fifty 
pounds  in  a  rough  and  tumble  fight  and  expect  not 
to  suffer  for  it. 

The  fellow  put  up  a  good  defense,  and  Drew  sud- 
denly became  aware  that  he  himself  was  at  a  terrible 
disadvantage.  He  was  a  naked  man  against  one 
clothed  and  booted.  He  could  defend  himself  from 
the  flail-like  blows  of  his  antagonist  and  could  get  in 
some  of  his  own  swift  hooks  and  punches.  But 
when  he  was  at  close  quarters  the  fellow  played  a 
deadly  trick  on  him. 

As  Drew  stepped  in  to  deliver  a  short-armed  jolt 
to  the  mutineer's  head,  the  latter  took  the  punish- 
ment offered,  but,  with  all  his  weight,  stamped  on 
Drew's  unprotected  foot. 

The  groan  that  this  forced  from  the  young  man's 
lips  brought  a  diabolical  grin  to  the  mutineer's  face. 
Even  the  satisfaction  of  changing  that  grin  to  a 
bloody  smear,  as  he  did  the  very  next  moment  by 
giving  a  fearful  blow  to  the  mouth,  did  not  relieve 
Drew's  pain. 

He  had  to  keep  the  fellow  at  arm's  length,  and 
that  was  not  advantageous  to  his  own  style  of  fight- 


310  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

ing.  He  could  make  a  better  record  in  close-up 
work.  But  the  mutineer  wore  heavy  sea-boots,  and 
Drew  already  felt  himself  crippled.  His  own  foot- 
work was  spoiled.  He  limped  as  badly  as  had  Tyke 
Grimshaw  for  a  while. 

There  was  not  room  for  a  fair  field  in  the 
crowded  forecastle,  at  best.  The  big  sailor  was 
very  wary  about  stepping  near  the  five  prisoners, 
but  he  forced  Drew,  time  and  again,  against  the 
body  of  the  prone  and  unconscious  man  on  the  deck. 
Three  times  his  naked  antagonist  all  but  sprawled 
over  this  obstruction. 

In  fact,  Drew  was  not  getting  much  the  best  of 
it,  although  few  of  the  mutineer's  blows  landed. 
This  fighting  at  arm's  length  never  yet  brought  a 
quick  decision.  And  that  was  what  Allen  Drew 
was  striving  for.  For  all  he  knew,  Ditty  might 
take  it  into  his  head  to  come  off  to  the  schooner 
before  bedtime.  If  he  were  caught  in  this  plight, 
he  would  be  utterly  undone. 

This  thought  harried  the  young  man's  very  soul. 
All  he  had  risked  in  swimming  out  to  the  schooner 
would  go  for  nothing.  Not  only  would  his  object 
in  coming  fail  of  consummation,  but  if  Ditty  caught 
him,  the  besieged  party  up  on  the  side  of  the  whale's 
hump  would  lose  its  best  shot. 

Thus  convinced  of  the  necessity  for  haste,  Drew 
suddenly  rushed  in.  He  stifled  a  cry  as  the  heavy 
boot  crunched  down  on  his  foot  once  again.  This 


The  Battle  in  the  Forecastle         311 

was  no  time  for  fair  fighting.  He  seized  his  an- 
tagonist by  the  collar  of  his  shirt,  jerked  him  for- 
ward, and  at  the  same  time  planted  a  right  upper-cut 
on  the  point  of  the  jaw. 

The  fellow  crashed  to  the  deck — down  and  out 
without  a  murmur.  Drew,  panting  and  limping, 
leaving  a  trail  of  blood  wherever  he  stepped,  secured 
some  lengths  of  spun  yarn  and  tied  both  mutineers 
hand  and  foot  before  he  gave  any  attention  to  the 
murmuring  prisoners. 

"Now,  men,"  he  said,  turning  to  the  five,  "you 
know  me.  I'm  Mr.  Drew  and  I'm  no  ghost." 

"You  don't  hit  like  no  ghost,"  grinned  Trent. 
"I'm  mighty  glad  you  come,  Mr.  Drew.  It  would 
have  been  all  up  with  us  when  old  Bug-eye  come 
back  if  you  hadn't." 

"You're  fine  fellows  and  all  right  to  stand  up  for 
your  captain,"  replied  Drew;  "and  you'll  find  that 
you've  not  only  been  on  the  right  side,  but  on  the 
winning  side.  However,  we've  got  to  hurry. 
Where's  a  knife?" 

"You'll  find  one  in  that  fellow's  belt,"  said  Whit- 
lock,  pointing  to  one  of  the  mutineers. 

Drew  secured  it  and  cut  the  ropes  that  bound  the 
prisoners.  They  fell  to  rubbing  their  arms  and 
legs  to  get  the  blood  to  circulating. 

"As  soon  as  you  can  move  about,  get  the  dinghy 
ready,"  directed  Drew.  "Stow  in  it  all  the  provi- 
sions it  will  hold  together  with  some  casks  of  water. 


312  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

And  you'd  better  bring  Wah  Lee  and  the  Jap  along. 
I've  got  to  go  to  the  captain's  cabin,  but  I'll  be  back 
before  you're  ready.  Smart,  now,  for  we  don't 
know  what  minute  Ditty  may  take  a  notion  to  come 
aboard." 

Drew  hurried  aft  and  into  his  own  room  where 
he  quickly  got  into  some  clothing  and  bandaged  his 
crushed  foot.  Then  he  pushed  into  the  captain's 
stateroom.  There  was  no  light  there,  but  he 
dropped  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  felt  under  the 
berth. 

His  hand  touched  the  sharp  corner  of  a  box. 
He  dragged  it  out  and  hurried  up  the  companion- 
way  where  he  could  examine  it  by  the  light  of  a 
lantern.  He  recognized  at  once  the  label  of  a  well- 
known  ammuntion  company,  and  knew  that  these 
must  be  the  cartridges  of  which  the  captain  had 
spoken.  That  box  perhaps  spelled  salvation  for 
the  treasure  seekers. 

With  his  heart  throbbing  with  elation  and  tightly 
clutching  the  precious  box,  Drew  hastened  to  the 
rail  where  the  men  were  preparing  to  launch  the 
boat.  Wah  Lee  and  Namco  stood  by,  blinking  with 
true  Oriental  stolidity.  They  betrayed  neither 
eagerness  nor  reluctance,  nor  was  there  the  slightest 
trace  of  curiosity.  For  them  it  was  all  in  the  day's 
work. 

The  seamen  heaped  in  all  the  provisions  and 
water  that  the  boat  would  hold  and  still  leave  room 


The  Battle  in  the  Forecastle          313 

for  its  occupants.  Drew  advised  muffling  the  oars, 
and  with  barely  a  sound  the  craft  moved  toward  the 
shore.  Heavily  laden  at  is  was,  the  progress  was 
slow.  They  kept  cautiously  out  of  the  zone  of  light 
cast  by  the  mutineers'  campfire,  which  now,  how- 
ever, was  dying  out.  Finally  the  craft  grated  on 
the  sand. 

Under  Drew's  whispered  directions,  the  men 
shouldered  the  stores,  and  the  party  commenced  the 
toilsome  march  inland  to  the  little  fort. 

It  was  fully  midnight  when  they  were  challenged 
by  the  sentinels  at  the  edge  of  the  wood. 

"Ahoy,  there!"  called  Drew,  hailing  the  fort. 

"Ahoy,  yourself!"  came  back  the  answer.  "Is 
that  you,  Allen  ?" 

"Yes.     And  some  friends  with  me/' 

"Friends?"  There  was  surprise  in  the  tone. 
"Who  are  they?" 

"I'll  let  you  see  for  yourself." 

The  besieged,  whose  sleep  had  been  fitful,  had  all 
been  aroused  by  the  colloquy,  and  they  crowded  to 
the  front  of  the  barricade.  The  moon  had  now 
risen,  and  their  faces  could  be  clearly  discerned. 
Ruth  lovelier  every  time  he  saw  her,  Allen  thought, 
stood  beside  her  father. 

"Why,  it's  Whitlock!"  cried  Captain  Hamilton 
jubilantly.  "And  Gunther — and  Trent — and  Ash- 
ley— and  Barnes!"  he  went  on  in  ever-increasing 
wonderment  and  excitement,  as  he  recognized  the 


314  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

weather-beaten  faces.  "And  blest  if  here  isn't  that 
old  heathen,  Wah  Lee !  And  the  Jap !  Glory  halle- 
lujah!" 

There  was  a  moment  of  wild  exclamations  and 
handshakings. 

"Bully  lads!"  cried  the  master  of  the  Bertha 
Hamilton,  with  deep  emotion.  "So  you  broke 
away  and  came  to  help  your  captain,  did  you  ?  Good 
lads." 

"We  didn't  exactly  break  away,  Cap'n,"  said 
Gunther.  "Though  God  knows  we  wanted  to  bad 
enough.  But  it's  Mr.  Drew  you  want  to  thank  for 
our  bein'  here.  He  done  it  all." 

"I  knowed  it!  I  knowed  it!"  cried  Tyke.  "I 
felt  it  in  my  bones  when  I  first  saw  'em !  Glory  be !" 

"He  did  it  all?"  inquired  the  captain.  "What  do 
you  mean?  Tell  us,  Allen." 

"Oh,  there  isn't  much  to  tell,"  replied  Drew.  "I 
was  lucky  enough  to  reach  the  schooner  and  I  found 
the  men  there  with  their  hands  tied.  I  cut  the  ropes 
and  brought  them  along." 

"You  reached  the  schooner!"  the  captain  re- 
peated. "How?" 

"Did  you  git  the  boat  from  under  the  eyes  of 
them  fellers?"  asked  Tyke. 

"No.    I  swam  over." 

"Swam!"  ejaculated  the  captain. 

Ruth  gave  a  little  shriek  and  put  her  hand  to  her 
heart. 


The  Battle  in  the  Forecastle          315 

"Oh !"  she  cried.    "The  sharks !" 

"Haven't  I  always  told  you  that  boy  was  a  won- 
der?" chuckled  Tyke. 

But  here  Whitlock  touched  his  cap. 

"Beggin'  your  pardon,  Cap'n,"  he  said  apologeti- 
cally, "but  if  Mr.  Drew  was  as  slow  with  his  fists 
as  he  is  with  tellin'  his  story,  meanin'  no  disrespec', 
me  an'  my  mates  wouldn't  be  here." 

"Go  ahead,  Whitlock,"  said  the  captain.  "It  is 
like  pulling  teeth  to  get  anything  from  Mr.  Drew." 

Whitlock  told  the  story,  which  lost  nothing  in  the 
telling. 

There  was  a  pause,  tense  with  emotion,  and  all 
eyes  were  turned  on  Drew.  Tyke's  hand  clapped 
him  on  the  shoulder,  but  the  old  man  did  not  trust 
himself  to  speak.  Ruth's  eyes  were  wet,  but  the 
tears  could  not  obscure  a  look  that  made  the  young 
man's  heart  thump  wildly. 

"Allen,"  said  the  captain,  taking  his  hand,  "it  was 
the  pluckiest  thing  I  ever  heard  of.  If  we  get  out 
of  this  place  alive,  we  shall  owe  it  all  to  you." 

"You  make  too  much  of  it,"  disclaimed  Drew,  red 
and  confused.  "But  hadn't  we  better  stow  away 
these  things  the  men  have  brought  along?  Here's 
the  box  of  cartridges  I  found  under  your  berth." 

The  captain  fairly  shouted. 

"That  puts  the  cap  sheaf  on !"  he  exulted.  "Now 
Ditty  and  his  gang  are  done  for.  They  can't  come 
too  soon." 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE    GHOST 

THE  camp  quieted  down  after  a  time.  In  one  cor- 
ner, Ruth  had  a  shelter  of  rugs  which  had  been 
brought  up  from  the  boat,  and  she  retired  to  this 
after  helping  her  father  dress  and  rebandage  Drew's 
foot. 

The  captain,  as  so  many  skippers  are,  was  a  good 
amateur  surgeon;  and  as  far  as  he  could  discern 
there  were  no  bones  broken.  But  the  foot  was  so 
very  painful  that  the  young  man  could  not  coax  the 
drowsy  god.  He  tossed  restlessly  on  the  hard  bed 
of  lava  rock,  and,  though  his  eyes  closed  at  times, 
they  opened  again  as  though  fitted  with  springs. 

The  exciting  events  of  the  day  and  the  chances 
he  had  taken  were  repeated  over  and  over  in  his 
mind.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  had  aimed 
a  deadly  weapon  at  another  human  being. 

He  knew  that  Bingo  had  fallen  by  his  hand.  But, 
oddly  enough,  that  fact  did  not  sear  his  conscience. 
He  had  been  accused  of  drowning  Lester  Parmalee, 
and  the  thought  of  that  accusation  now  made  him 
shrink  and  writhe. 

He  was  guiltless  of  Parmalee's  awful  end;  still, 
he  shuddered  at  the  thought  that  he  might  have  been 
guilty.  At  one  time  he  had  felt  such  rage  and  ani- 

316 


The  Ghost  317 

mosity,  through  jealousy,  that  he  might  have  struck 
Parmalee  a  fatal  blow. 

Drew  had  considered  the  missing  man  his  rival 
for  Ruth's  affection.  Fate  had  removed  that  rival 
from  his  path.  Yet,  in  doing  this,  fate  had  likewise 
raised  a  barrier  to  Drew's  own  happiness  with  Ruth. 

The  man  groaned  aloud  at  this  thought.  Then, 
fearing  that  some  of  the  others  would  be  disturbed, 
that  Ruth  might  hear  him,  he  arose  and  hobbled 
to  the  barrier. 

He  felt  in  a  pocket  of  the  coat  he  had  put  on  while 
aboard  the  schooner  and  found  pipe  and  tobacco. 
He  filled  the  pipe  and  fell  to  smoking,  hoping  to 
soothe  his  jumping  nerves,  while  he  stared  out 
across  the  moonlit  open. 

The  tropical  moonlight  revealed  every  object  to 
the  edge  of  the  jungle  as  clearly  as  though  it  were 
broad  day.  It  was  a  peaceful  scene — so  peaceful 
that  it  was  hard  to  imagine  that  daybreak  might 
change  it  to  a  place  of  carnage. 

Suddenly  he  took  his  pipe  from  his  lips  and 
peered  more  closely  at  a  spot  near  the  edge  of  the 
jungle.  Something  had  moved  there. 

It  could  not  be  one  of  the  sentinels.  Attack  was 
not  expected  from  the  west.  Nor  was  it  one  of  the 
small,  night-roaming  animals  of  the  forest.  Drew 
was  sure  there  were  no  beasts  of  prey  on  this  island. 
It  was  too  far  from  the  mainland  and  the  larger 
islands. 


318  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

The  something  which  he  had  seen  moved  farther 
out  from  the  line  of  verdure.  It  was  a  man. 

Although  the  distance  was  fully  a  cable's  length, 
Drew's  eyes  were  keen.  The  moonlight  for  a  full 
minute  shone  on  the  face  of  the  figure  before  it 
moved  again. 

The  sight  of  the  pallid  countenance,  with  the 
black  hair  above  it,  smote  Drew  with  an  emotion 
akin  to  terror.  He  could  not  understand  the  appa- 
rition— he  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes;  yet  that 
face  was  Lester  Parmalee's! 

In  a  moment  more  the  man  had  disappeared.  The 
figure  seemed  to  have  melted  into  the  black  back- 
ground of  the  jungle. 

Without  a  grain  of  superstition  in  his  being,  Allen 
Drew  felt  that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  the  super- 
natural. He  had  not  imagined  the  figure.  It  was 
no  figment  of  a  waking  dream. 

This  was  what  Ruth  had  seen.  This  was  what 
had  so  startled  her  on  the  occasion  of  the  treasure 
seekers'  first  visit  to  the  whale's  hump.  She  thought 
she  had  imagined  the  appearance  of  Lester  Par- 
malee.  Drew  knew  he  had  seen  it ! 

He  was  tempted  to  arouse  Captain  Hamilton. 
Yet  he  shrank  from  that.  He  could  not  utter  the 
missing  man's  name  to  Ruth's  father,  knowing,  as 
he  did,  that  the  capain  was  doubtful  of  his,  Drew's, 
innocence  in  connection  with  Parmalee's  dis- 
appearance. 


The  Ghost  319 

He  whispered  to  the  man  on  guard  that  he  was 
going  outside,  and  quickly  surmounted  the  barrier. 
He  had  his  automatic  revolver ;  and,  anyway,  he  did 
not  think  any  of  the  mutineers  were  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

Having  marked  well  the  spot  where  the  ghostly 
figure  had  presented  itself  to  his  startled  vision, 
Drew  hobbled  directly  to  it,  forgetting  in  his  ex- 
citement the  painful  foot.  He  did  not  halt  to  search 
for  foot-prints,  but  looked  instead  for  an  opening 
in  the  jungle,  into  which  the  figure  could  have  dis- 
appeared. 

It  was  there — one  of  those  strange  lava  paths 
through  the  thick  vegetation.  The  moonlight 
scarcely  illuminated  it,  for  it  was  narrow ;  but  Drew 
entered  boldly.  This  matter  must  be  brought  to  a 
conclusion.  He  felt  that  the  mystery  had  to  be 
solved  without  delay. 

There  was  light  enough  to  show  him  the  black 
wall  of  the  jungle  on  either  side  of  the  path.  There 
were  no  openings.  Tropical  undergrowth  is  not 
like  that  of  a  northern  forest.  Here  the  lianas  and 
thorns  intermingled  with  strong  brush,  make  an 
impervious  hedge.  One  could  not  penetrate  it  with- 
out the  aid  of  a  machete. 

Drew  heard  no  sound  as  he  went  on.  The  man 
he  followed  was  not  struggling  through  the  jungle 
in  an  attempt  to  escape  pursuit.  Allen  hastened  his 
footsteps,  his  hand  on  his  revolver.  Was  that  a 


320  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

figure  moving  through  the  semi-dusk  ahead? 
Should  he  call  ?  His  lips  formed  the  name  of  Par- 
malee, but  no  sound  came  from  them. 

Suddenly  he  came  to  a  clearing,  perhaps  a  dozen 
yards  across.  Here  the  lava  had  formed  a  pool  and 
cooled  in  this  circular  patch.  The  moonlight  now 
revealed  all. 

A  figure — the  same  he  had  seen  upon  the 
edge  of  the  jungle — was  crossing  this  opening  in 
the  forest.  The  pursuer  sprang  forward. 

"Wait!"  he  gasped.    "It's  I— Drew!    Wait!" 

The  other  whirled.  He  held  only  a  club  as  a 
means  of  defense.  He  was  in  rags.  His  black  hair 
hung  in  dank  locks  about  his  pale  brow. 

"Who  are  you  ?"  he  cried.    "Keep  off !" 

"Parmalee !" 

Allen  Drew  rushed  in,  making  light  of  the  club, 
and  seized  the  other  in  his  arms. 

"My  God,  man !  don't  you  know  me?  How  came 
you  here?  Are  you  real?"  he  chattered. 

"Is  it  you,  Drew?"  queried  the  other,  brokenly. 
"Lord"!  don't  take  my  breath,  old  fellow." 

"They  accuse  me  of  taking  your  life!"  ejaculated 
Drew,  with  hysterical  laughter.  "Don't  mind  a  lit- 
tle thing  like  being  hugged.  Gad,  Parmalee!  how 
glad  I  am  to  see  you !" 

"Accused  you  of  taking  my  life!"  the  other  ex- 
claimed, amazed. 

"Ditty,  the  black-hearted  hound,  accused  me  of 


The  Ghost  321 

throwing  you  overboard.  Said  he  saw  me  do  it. 
Captain  Hamilton  half  believes  it  yet.  Heavens, 
Parmalee,  but  you're  a  sight  to  put  heart  into  a 
man! 

"Only,"  Drew  added,  "you  quite  took  the  heart 
out  of  me  just  now  when  I  saw  you  standing  there 
at  the  edge  of  the  forest  staring  at  the  fort." 

'The  fort.  Yes.  That's  what  puzzled  me,"  Par- 
malee said.  "I  wasn't  sure  which  party  was  defend- 
ing it.  The  sailors  mutinied,  didn't  they?  You're 
fighting  them?" 

"I  should  say  we  are,  the " 

He  got  no  further.  In  their  eagerness,  the  two 
men  had  been  talking  in  ordinary  tones  and  had 
paid  no  attention  to  their  surroundings.  A  voice 
suddenly  crackled  through  the  other  sounds  of  the 
night. 

"Well,  we've  got  two  of  'em.  Hands  up,  or  we'll 
blow  your  heads  off!" 

It  was  Ditty  with  half  a  dozen  of  the  mutineers 
at  his  back.  They  held  Drew  and  Parmalee  under 
the  muzzles  of  their  automatics. 

It  was  useless  to  attempt  to  escape.  Even  Drew, 
reckless  as  he  had  shown  himself  at  times,  would 
not  take  his  life  so  lightly  in  his  hands.  And,  be- 
sides, he  knew  well  that  Ditty  would  be  only  too 
glad  to  shoot  him. 

His  hands,  as  well  as  Parmalee's,  went  up 
promptly.  One  of  the  seamen,  laughing  a  little, 


322          Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

came  forward  and  searched  them  both,  taking  away 
Drew's  weapon.  Parmalee  had  dropped  his  useless 
club. 

The  young  men,  so  suddenly  made  captives  by 
the  mutineers,  stood  with  their  backs  to  the  strong 
moonlight,  their  faces  in  the  shadow.  The  moon 
was  now  sinking  behind  a  buttress  of  the  volcano. 
As  yet,  neither  had  been  recognized  by  their  captors. 

But  now  Ditty  came  forward,  and  first  of  all 
thrust  his  face  into  that  of  Parmalee. 

"Who  the  devil  are  you?"  he  demanded. 

The  young  man  lifted  his  head  and  stared  into  the 
mate's  pale  eye.  Ditty  started  back  with  a  shriek. 

"What — what Who  is  it?"  chattered  the 

mate.  His  henchmen  gazed  at  him  in  amazement. 
Suddenly  Ditty  came  forward  again,  and  whirled 
Parmalee  around  so  that  he  faced  the  sinking  moon. 

"Mr.  Parmalee!"  he  whispered. 

The  latter  smiled  faintly. 

"It's  Parmalee,  all  right,"  he  said.  "You  didn't 
expect  to  see  me  again,  I  imagine,  Mr.  Ditty." 

The  sound  of  the  man's  voice  seemed  to  reassure 
the  mate.  The  other  mutineers  chattered  their  sur- 
prise. Finally  Ditty,  licking  his  dry  lips,  stammered : 

"I — I  thought  that  you — you  were " 

"No  thanks  to  you  that  I'm  not  drowned,  Mr. 
Ditty,  if  that's  what  you  mean,"  said  Parmalee  bit- 
terly. "You  tried  your  best  to  murder  me." 

"Not  me!"   declared  Ditty,  with  a  gesture  of 


The  Ghost  323 

denial,  turning  his  single  eye  away  from  the  other's 
accusing  gaze.  "It  was  that  swab,  Drew,  threw 
you  overboard." 

"Liar,"  declared  Parmalee  evenly.  "Drew  lay  on 
the  deck  unconscious  from  his  fall.  I  was  stoop- 
ing to  help  him.  Though  you  crept  up  behind  me,  I 
knew  you  when  you  seized  me  in  your  arms,  you 
villain.  And  I  hope  to  see  you  punished  for  it." 

Ditty,  with  a  curse,  would  have  struck  Parmalee, 
but  Drew  stepped  between  them  and  received  the 
blow  intended  for  his  comrade. 

"If  you  must  hit  a  man,  hit  one  of  your  own  size," 
he  said  quietly. 

"Drew!  Drew  himself!"  shouted  the  mate,  rec- 
ognizing the  second  captive.  "The  very  one  we 
wanted !  Hi,  bullies !  we've  got  the  whip-hand  now. 
We've  got  the  old  man's  right  bower!  An'  him 
an'  the  gal  an'  Tyke  Grimshaw  will  pay  us  our  price 
for  the  freedom  of  this  laddy-buck,  to  say  nothin' 
of  Parmalee.  Bring 'em  along !" 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

THE    BATTLE    IS    ON 

HELPLESS  and  almost  hopeless,  the  two  captives 
were  led  deeper  into  the  forest  paths.  Drew  real- 
ized that  they  were  skirting  the  barren  hillside  and 
gaining  a  position  nearer  to  the  treasure  seekers' 
fort. 

Finally  they  saw  a  fire  in  the  now  dark  wood,  and 
soon  came  to  a  stockade.  Several  fallen  trees 
formed  this  barrier,  and  in  addition  to  the  protec- 
tion they  afforded,  a  number  of  branches  had  been 
so  arranged  as  to  form  an  abattis.  The  work  had 
been  hastily  done ;  but  with  determined  men  behind 
it,  it  would  offer  a  formidable  obstacle  to  an 
attacking  party. 

At  a  fire  in  the  further  end  of  the  enclosure  the 
mutineers  were  preparing  their  breakfast.  Ditty 
went  over  and  talked  earnestly  with  some  of  his 
men,  but  finally  broke  off  abruptly  and  came  back 
to  the  prisoners,  who  had  both  been  tied,  wrist  and 
ankle. 

"So  I've  got  you  where  I've  wanted  you  at  last, 
have  I?"  he  taunted  Drew.  "Little  moonlight 
walks  don't  always  pan  out  as  you  expect." 

Drew  disdained  to  reply. 
324 


The  Battle  is  On  325 

"You  won't  talk,  eh?"  the  mate  snarled,  kicking 
him  in  the  ribs  with  his  heavy  boot.  "Well,  I  know 
some  cunnin'  little  ways  of  makin'  people  talk  when 
I  want  'em  to.  But  I'm  goin'  to  wait  a  while  before 
I  try  'em  on  you.  I  want  somebody  here  to  see  you 
cringe  and  hear  you  howl.  Bless  her  pretty  eyes, 
how  she'll  enjoy  it !" 

Then  Drew's  eyes  flashed  and  he  strained  at  his 
bonds. 

''You  vile  scoundrel!''  he  cried.  "If  my  hands 
were  free  I'd  choke  the  life  out  of  you !" 

"So  you  can  talk,  after  all?"  sneered  the  mate, 
his  cold  eye  becoming  still  more  reptilian. 

"And  more  than  talk — give  me  the  chance," 
Drew  flung  back  at  him. 

"Smart  boy,"  jeered  the  mate.  "Smart  enough 
to  translate  Spanish  and  the  pirate's  old  map,  eh? 
An'  now  you're  goin'  to  smart  more  when  you  see 
me  an'  my  mates  walk  off  with  the  doubloons,"  and 
he  laughed. 

"Yes.  When  I  do !"  the  young  man  said  boldly. 
"You'll  be  a  deal  older  when  that  happens,  Ditty." 

"I'll  show  you  !"ejaculated  the  mate,  and  kicked 
him  again. 

"The  brute !"  gasped  Parmalee. 

"Parmalee,"  Drew  said  in  a  trembling  voice,  "I 
never  wanted  the  use  of  my  hands  so  much  as  I 
do  now.  When  I  do  get  free,  I  shall  be  tempted  to 
kill  that  fellow." 


326  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

"He  deserves  it — the  double-dyed  villain!" 
groaned  Parmalee.  "And  he  threw  me  overboard." 

"I  knew  he  must  have  done  so,"  said  Drew.  "But 
why  did  he  do  it?  Not  just  to  put  the  crime  on 
me?  How  were  you  saved  and  how  did  you  get 
here?  Let's  hear  it  all." 

"I  had  overheard  the  rascal  plotting  with  some 
of  the  men,"  returned  Parmalee.  "Ditty  must  have 
caught  a  glimpse  of  me.  I  suppose  he  felt  the  time 
was  not  ripe  for  exposure ;  so  he  put  me  out  of  the 
way.  He  must  have  been  lurking  near  us  that  night 
when  you  fell.  I  was  stooping  to  help  you  when 
he  grabbed  me  and  flung  me  over  the  rail.  I  didn't 
have  time  to  cry  out. 

"I'm  a  good  swimmer — one  of  the  few  active 
accomplishments  I  possess — and  I  swam  as  long  as 
I  could.  Just  as  I  lost  strength,  my  hand  touched 
a  cask  lashed  to  a  grating  that  must  have  fallen  from 
some  vessel,  or  been  thrown  from  it.  That  held  me 
up  till  morning.  By  that  time  I  was  about  all  in. 
But  just  then  a  sloop — a  turtle  catcher  she  was — 
bore  down  on  me,  sighted  me,  and  answered  my 
frantic  appeal,  and  picked  me  up.  It  was  a  terrible 
experience." 

"It  must  have  been,"  breathed  the  other.  "Go 
on.  How  did  you  get  here  to  this  very  island  where 
the  doubloons  were  buried?" 

"Are  they  here?"  asked  Parmalee  eagerly.  "Do 
you  know?" 


The  Battle  is  On  327 

"Sh!M  whispered  Drew.  "Don't  say  a  word.  We 
have  'em — pecks  of  them!  And  jewels  and  other 
stuff  besides — enough  to  make  us  all  as  rich  as 
Midas." 

"Humph!"  commented  Parmalee,  with  sudden 
gravity.  "And  he  had  asses'  ears.  I'm  afraid  this 
mess  we're  all  in  shows  that  we  did  an  asinine  thing 
in  coming  down  here  after  the  doubloons.  What  is 
wealth  compared  to  life  itself?" 

"True,"  murmured  Drew.  "And  what  we've 
been  through  besides.  But  go  on.  Tell  the  rest." 

"When  those  turtle  catchers  landed  here  I  had 
no  idea  that  this  island  was  the  one  marked  on  the 
pirate's  map  which  Captain  Hamilton  showed  me," 
pursued  Parmalee.  "I  was  treated  well  enough. 
But  I  happened  to  have  no  money  in  my  pockets, 
and  the  men  disbelieved  my  claim  that  I  would  pay 
them  if  they  would  get  me  to  a  civilized  port.  So 
they  made  me  work.  That  was  all  right,  but  the 
work  was  too  heavy  for  me ;  so  I  went  off  into  the 
interior  of  the  island  to  see  if  there  were  not  some 
inhabitants.  Then  the  first  earthquake  came.  It 
frightened  those  half-breeds  and  negroes  blue.  They 
set  off  in  the  sloop,  leaving  me  behind. 

"Day  before  yesterday  I  came  up  this  way.  I 
guessed  that  the  fortification  must  have  been  thrown 
up  by  one  party  from  the  Bertha  Hamilton  and  that 
this  was  the  island  we  had  been  seeking;  but  hesi- 
tated to  come  nearer,  unarmed  as  I  was,  fearing  that 


328  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Ditty  and  his  gang  of  cut-throats  were  fortified 
here." 

"Ruth  saw  you,"  Drew  volunteered.  "She 
thought  you  were  an  apparition.  And  so  did  I,  this 
morning.  But  you  must  have  had  a  frightful  time 
of  it." 

"I've  been  keeping  myself  alive  on  fruit  and 
shell-fish  since  the  turtle  catchers  deserted  me.  It's 
not  a  satisfying  diet,''  Parmalee  said  with  a  little 
laugh. 

During  this  low-voiced  conversation  between  the 
two  prisoners,  the  mutineers  had  been  eating  break- 
fast. They  offered  the  young  men  none ;  but  neither 
Drew  nor  Parmalee  was  thinking  of  his  appetite. 

"Sit  up  close  behind  me,  Parmalee,"  whispered 
Drew.  "I  believe  I  can  work  on  that  cord  that 
fastens  your  wrists.  If  I  can  get  you  free,  you  can 
free  me." 

"Good !    We'll  try  it,"  said  the  other  confidently. 

"That  will  do.  Get  close  to  me  and  let  me  pick 
away  at  this  knot.  Ditty's  too  busy  to  come  over 
here  now.  Besides,  they're  getting  ready  to  attack 
our  people,  I  think.  He  believes  we're  safe  here, 
and  he'll  need  all  his  men  with  him." 

"You're  getting  it,  Drew,  old  fellow/'  whispered 
Parmalee  eagerly. 

"Bet  your  life!  One  of  the  easiest  knots  a  sea- 
man ever  tied.  Now  try  mine." 

Parmalee  did  as  directed,  and  the  knot  that  fas- 


The  Battle  is  On  329 

tened  Drew's  wrists  soon  yielded.  But  the  latter 
still  kept  his  hands  behind  him  and  assumed  a  pose 
of  deep  dejection,  his  companion  doing  the  same. 

As  Drew  had  conjectured,  Ditty  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  attack.  He  was  still  unaware  of  what  had 
taken  place  on  the  schooner  during  the  night,  and 
was  confident  that  he  outnumbered  the  besieged  by 
about  two  to  one.  Time  was  pressing,  for  a  ship 
might  appear  at  any  time.  He  resolved  to  hazard 
all  his  chances  on  one  throw. 

At  the  head  of  his  band  he  left  the  stockade. 
Drew  and  Parmalee  waited  till  they  felt  sure  that 
all  had  gone  and  that  no  guard  left  behind  was 
stealthily  watching  them  through  the  trees.  Drew 
then  got  out  his  pocket  knife  and  severed  their  ankle 
lashings. 

At  that  moment  a  volley  of  shots  was  heard  in 
the  direction  of  the  barricade.  It  was  followed  by 
another  and  still  another.  The  fight  had  begun. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Drew  excitedly,  and  he 
dashed  out  of  the  stockade  followed  by  Parmalee. 

Day  was  just  breaking.  Overhead  the  twittering 
of  doves,  the  squeaking  of  parrakeets,  the  countless 
sounds  of  bird  and  insect  life,  welcomed  the  sun. 

But  the  fusilades  of  gun  shots  hushed  the  clamor 
of  wild  life,  and  sent  the  birds  and  the  animals 
shrieking  away  from  the  vicinity. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

THE    SURRENDER CONCLUSION 

GREAT  was  the  consternation  in  the  little  fortress 
when  it  was  discovered  that  Drew  was  absent.  And 
as  the  time  dragged  by  and  he  did  not  return,  his 
friends  knew  that  either  he  had  been  killed  or  was  a 
prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  mutineers.  And  if  the 
latter,  they  knew  only  too  well  what  mercy  he  had 
to  expect  from  the  mate.  One  murder  more  or  less 
was  nothing  to  that  scoundrel  now. 

Grimshaw  and  Captain  Hamilton  were  abnor- 
mally grave,  and  Ruth's  eyes  were  wild  with  an- 
guish and  terror.  She  no  longer  had  any  doubt 
of  her  feeling  for  Allen.  She  knew  that  she  loved 
him  with  all  her  heart. 

At  the  first  sign  of  daylight,  the  master  of  the 
Bertha  Hamilton  put  his  little  band  on  a  war  foot- 
ing. The  ammunition  was  distributed,  and  he  re- 
joiced to  see  how  abundant  it  was.  That  he  had 
Drew  to  thank  for.  Ruth  prepared  lint  and  ban- 
dages for  the  wounded  from  supplies  which  Allen 
had  also  brought,  then  she  stood  ready  to  reload  the 
extra  rifles  and  small  arms,  or,  at  need,  to  use  a 
revolver  herself.  Her  eyes  were  clear  and  daunt- 
less, and  if  her  father  looked  at  her  with  grave  anx- 
iety, it  was  also  with  pride. 

Breakfast  despatched,  the  men  took  the  places 
330 


The  Surrender — Conclusion          331 

assigned  to  them.  The  captain  had  formed  his  plan 
of  battle. 

"They'll  rush  us  after  a  few  volleys,"  he  asserted. 
"Wait  till  they  get  within  thirty  feet  before  you 
fire.  Then  let  them  have  it,  and  aim  low.  If  they 
waver,  and  I  think  they  will,  jump  over  the  breast- 
works when  I  give  the  word,  and  we'll  charge  in 
turn.  If  we  once  get  them  on  the  run,  they'll  never 
rally  and  we'll  hunt  them  down  like  rats  until  they 
surrender.  We're  going  to  win,  my  lads !" 

The  answer  was  a  cheer,  and  Captain  Hamilton 
had  no  doubt  as  to  the  spirit  with  which  his  little 
force  was  going  into  the  fray. 

The  outposts  came  hurrying  in  with  the  news 
that  the  mutineers  were  coming.  And  not  long 
after,  this  was  confirmed  by  a  spatter  of  bullets 
against  the  rocks. 

The  defenders  made  a  spirited  reply,  and  several 
volleys  were  exchanged.  But  the  mutineers  were 
in  the  shelter  of  the  wood. 

Ditty  knew  that  the  pistol  bullets  of  his  men 
would  do  little  damage  at  long  range. 

There  came  an  ominous  pause. 

"They're  getting  ready  now/'  said  Captain  Ham- 
ilton quietly.  "Mind  what  I  told  you,  my  lads, 
about  shooting  low.  And  when  you  see  me  jump 
over  the  rocks,  come  close  on  my  heels.  I'll  be  up 
in  front." 

It  was  a  nerve-trying  wait.    Then,  suddenly,  the 


332  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

mutineers  emerged  from  the  wood  and  rushed 
toward  the  fort,  yelling  as  they  came. 

They  had  covered  nearly  half  the  distance  when 
Captain  Hamilton  gave  the  word  and  the  rifles 
spoke.  Some  of  the  bullets  went  high  and  wide, 
but  several  of  the  attacking  force  staggered  and 
went  down.  Their  comrades  hesitated  for  a  sec- 
ond, and  the  master  of  the  Bertha  Hamilton  seized 
his  opportunity. 

"Follow  me !"  he  yelled.    "Come  on  P 

He  leaped  over  the  rocky  breastwork,  and  with 
a  cheer  the  seamen  followed  him. 

The  check  of  the  mutineers  had  been  only  tem- 
porary. Ditty  raged  and  stormed  and  swore  at 
them  and  they  regained  some  semblance  of  order. 
By  the  time  the  captain  and  his  force  had  fairly 
cleared  the  lava  barricade  and  had  got  into  the  full 
momentum  of  their  charge,  the  mutineers  had  re- 
formed. In  another  instant  the  lines  had  met  and 
were  locked  in  deadly  combat. 

There  was  no  longer  any  pretense  of  discipline. 
When  their  guns  were  empty,  every  man  singled 
out  his  antagonist  and  grappled  with  him.  The 
forces  were  now  about  evenly  divided,  and  for  a 
time  the  issue  was  doubtful. 

Then  came  a  diversion. 

Out  from  the  wood  leaped  Drew,  whirling  a 
heavy  club,  his  eyes  blazing  with  rage  and  the  lust 
of  battle.  Here  was  the  chandlery  clerk,  metamor- 


The  Surrender — Conclusion          333 

phosed  indeed!  He  was  followed  by  Parmalee, 
plucky,  but  for  the  moment  breathless  from  the 
struggle  through  the  jungle. 

"Shoot  him,  you  bullies!  Pull  him  down!" 
yelled  Ditty,  seeing  the  charging  Drew. 

He  aimed  his  own  revolver  at  the  young  man  and 
fired.  Drew  felt  as  though  his  head  had  been  seared 
by  a  red-hot  iron.  He  staggered,  but,  nevertheless, 
kept  on,  charging  directly  at  the  one-eyed  mate. 

They  met.  As  Drew  struck  at  his  enemy  with  the 
club,  the  latter  flung  his  emptied  revolver  full  in  the 
face  of  the  younger  man.  Drew  ducked,  but  could 
not  avoid  it.  But  the  bodies  of  the  two  came  to- 
gether, and  they  clenched. 

Back  and  forth  they  strained,  each  struggling  for 
a  wrestler's  hold  in  order  to  enable  him  to  throw 
the  other.  For  half  a  minute  or  more  neither  was 
successful. 

But  the  mate  was  the  better  man  in  the  rough- 
and-tumble  fight.  He  suddenly  lifted  Drew  from 
the  ground  and  flung  him  to  the  ground.  But  Ditty 
fell  too,  landing  heavily  on  his  victim. 

The  shock  almost  deprived  Drew  of  breath.  The 
wound  in  his  head  had  confused  him.  His  grasp 
on  Ditty  relaxed,  and  with  a  yell  of  triumph  the 
latter  released  himself,  leaped  to  his  feet,  seizing  the 
club  as  he  arose. 

"Now  I've  got  you!"  he  yelled,  and  swung  the 
club  aloft. 


334  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

At  that  moment  Captain  Hamilton  shot  Ditty 
through  the  breast.  With  a  snarl,  the  mate,  losing 
the  club,  hurled  himself  toward  the  captain  and 
grappled  with  him.  They  went  down,  the  latter's 
head  striking  the  ground  so  that  he  was  dazed  for 
a  moment. 

The  mutineer  jerked  the  knife  from  his  belt  and 
raised  it  to  strike;  but  Tyke  Grimshaw,  who  had 
been  fighting  furiously,  kicked  the  knife  from  his 
hand  and  the  captain,  recovering,  threw  his  enemy 
from  him  and  arose. 

Ditty  did  not  rise.  The  remaining  mutineers 
wavered  when  their  leader  fell,  then  turned  to  flee. 

"After  them,  my  lads !"  cried  Captain  Hamilton. 
"We've  got  'em  on  the  run!" 

But  the  battle  ended  abruptly. 

In  the  excitement  of  the  fight,  none  had  noticed 
the  black  cloud  shooting  up  from  the  crater  so  close 
at  hand.  There  was  a  stupendous  roar,  and  the 
earth  shook  again  as  though  twisted  between  the 
fingers  of  a  Titan.  The  crashing  of  trees  in  the 
forest,  and  the  bursting  of  hot  lava  spewed  out  of 
the  volcano,  grew  into  a  cannonade. 

Prone  on  the  ground,  terrified  and  bewildered  be- 
fore this  awful  seismic  phenomenon,  neither  bellig- 
erent party  thought  of  fighting.  Not  until  the  up- 
roar and  quaking  had  subsided  some  minutes  later, 
could  they  reconcile  themselves  to  the  conviction 
that  by  a  miracle  only  were  they  alive. 


The  Surrender — Conclusion          335 

The  mutineers  crept  away  into  the  forest  unmo- 
lested. Gradually  the  others  regained  self-control. 
Tyke  nursed  the  lame  foot  which  had  done  such 
timely  service  in  thwarting  Ditty,  while  the  captain 
tallied  up  his  losses.  Two  of  the  faithful  seamen 
were  dead,  Ashley  and  Trent,  and  several  were 
rather  badly  wounded,  while  none  had  emerged 
from  the  struggle  without  some  injury.  Five  of 
the  mutineers  had  been  killed,  and  three  more  were 
severely  though  not  mortally  wounded. 

Drew  had  at  first  thought  that  the  wound  in- 
flicted by  Ditty's  bullet  was  slight.  But  suddenly  a 
deadly  weakness  came  over  him.  He  seemed  to  be 
falling  into  a  stupor  from  which  he  tried  desperately 
to  save  himself.  Ruth  was  bandaging  his  wound 
when  she  noticed  his  growing  faintness.  She  cried 
out  in  alarm. 

"Allen,  dear,  Allen!"  she  begged.  "Rouse  up! 
Don't  faint!" 

"I — I'm  going,  Ruth,"  he  answered. 

"No,  no;"  she  cried  desperately.  "I  won't  let 
you!" 

"I'm  going,"  he  muttered,  clinging  to  her. 

"You  mustn't!"  she  exclaimed  wildly.  "Don't 
go,  Allen !  Not  until  I  tell  you " 

But  the  next  moment  Drew  slipped  into  uncon- 
sciousness. 

When  he  awoke  to  find  himself  between  snowy 
sheets  in  his  old  berth  with  Ruth's  cool  hand  upon 


336  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

his  forehead  and  her  tender  eyes  looking  into  his, 
he  had  many  things  to  learn.  She  pieced  out  for 
him  the  happenings  after  that  stark  fight  on  the 
island.  She  told  how  Parmalee  had  picked  up  a 
revolver  from  the  field  and  played  his  part  in  the 
fight;  how,  after  the  burial  of  the  dead  and  aid  to 
the  wounded,  the  treasure  chest  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  schooner;  how  the  remnant  of  the 
mutineers  had  evaded  capture  and  had  fled  to  the 
remote  parts  of  the  island ;  and,  greatest  of  all,  how 
that  last  earthquake  shock  had  tipped  the  reef  again 
and  made  a  new  opening  in  the  barrier  that  had 
hemmed  in  the  schooner.  She  told  him,  too,  that 
in  an  hour  the  Bertha  Hamilton  would  be  plough- 
ing the  waves  of  the  Caribbean. 

To  all  these  things  he  listened  with  unutterable 
content  and  peace  beyond  all  telling.  He  was  alive ! 
His  name  was  stainless!  His  future  was  secure! 
And  Ruth  was  beside  him!  It  was  heaven  just  to 
lie  there,  drinking  in  the  beauty  of  her  eyes  and 
breathing  the  fragrance  of  her  hair  when  she  bent 
over  to  adjust  his  pillow. 

"And  we  shall  soon  have  bidden  good-bye  to 
Earthquake  Island!"  Ruth  exclaimed  gaily. 

"Is  that  what  you've  dubbed  it?"  he  asked,  smil- 
ing. "It  couldn't  be  better  christened.  Earth- 
quakes seem  to  be  its  chief  stock  in  trade." 

"Except  doubloons,"  she  reminded  him.  "Don't 
be  ungrateful." 


The  Surrender — Conclusion          337 

Tyke  came  in  and  sat  patting  Drew's  hand,  too 
deeply  moved  at  first  to  trust  himself  to  speak.  The 
captain,  too,  was  a  visitor,  confidently  attributing 
the  salvation  of  the  party  to  Drew's  pluck  and 
daring.  And  Parmalee — a  vastly  stronger  and 
healthier  Parmalee  than  before  he  had  been  com- 
pelled to  'rough  it" — showed  himself  exceedingly 
friendly. 

"It  has  been  a  great  voyage  for  me,"  he  said. 
"I'm  open  to  congratulations,  Drew.  My  health  is 
so  much  improved,  that  I  shall  be  married  as  soon 
as  we  reach  New  York." 

Drew's  heart  suddenly  turned  to  ice.  He  knew 
he  ought  to  say  something,  but  for  the  life  of  him 
he  could  not  speak.  He  looked  unseeingly  at  Par- 
malee, his  face  the  color  of  ashes. 

"Her  name  is  Edith,"  continued  Parmalee,  with 
the  egotism  of  a  lover.  "Beautiful  name,  don't  you 
think  ?  We've  been  engaged  for  more  than  a  year, 
but  I  didn't  want  to  marry  until  I  was  stronger." 

The  blood  flowed  into  Drew's  face  once  more. 

"Beautiful?"  he  cried.  "I  should  say  it  was! 
And  I  bet  she's  as  beautiful  as  her  name.  Par- 
malee, I  congratulate  you.  With  all  my  heart  I 
congratulate  you.  You're  a  lucky  dog.  Shake 
hands." 

Parmalee's  eyes  twinkled. 

"Upon  my  word!  you're  a  fellow  of  sudden  and 
wonderful  enthusiasms,"  he  exclaimed.  "But  I  can 


338  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

guess  why.  I'm  not  blind.  Go  in  and  win,  old 
fellow." 

Ruth  came  back  just  then,  gay  and  radiant. 

"Seems  to  me  there's  a  lot  of  noise  here  for  a 
sick  man's  room,"  she  remarked,  looking  smilingly 
from  one  to  the  other.  I'll  have  to  drive  you  out, 
Mr.  Parmalee,  if  you  get  my  patient  too  greatly 
excited,"  she  went  on,  shaking  her  finger  at  him 
with  mock  severity. 

"I  imagine  I  haven't  done  him  any  harm," 
laughed  Parmalee  slyly. 

"Harm !"  cried  Drew.  "You've  given  me  a  new 
lease  on  life.  I'll  get  well  now  in  no  time.  I've 
just  got  to  get  well !" 

"I  was  telling  him  about  Edith,"  explained 
Parmalee. 

"Edith!"  exclaimed  Ruth.  "Isn't  she  just  the 
dearest  girl?  So  you've  taken  Allen  into  the  secret 
too?  Go  and  get  her  picture  and  let  him  see  what 
a  darling  she  is." 

Parmalee,  nothing  loth,  rose  and  left  the  room. 

"You'll  simply  fall  in  love  with  her  when  you  see 
her  picture,"  prophesied  Ruth,  as  she  adjusted  the 
pillow. 

"No,  I  won't,"  declared  Drew  with  emphasis. 

"She's  one  of  the  dearest  friends  I  have,"  Ruth 
continued,  teasingly  keeping  her  hand  just  out  of 
Allen's  reach.  "Of  course,  I  knew  all  about  their 
engagement,  and  Mr.  Parmalee's  talked  to  me  a  lot 
about  her  during  this  voyage.  The  poor  fellow  was 


The  Surrender — Conclusion          339 

so  lonely  without  her  that  I  suppose  he  had  to  have 
some  one  to  confide  in." 

A  great  light  broke  upon  Drew's  mind. 

"So  that's  what  you  two  used  to  talk  about  when 
I  was  so "  he  hesitated,  seeking  for  a  word. 

"So  what?"  she  asked  demurely,  with  a  glint  of 
the  old  mischief  in  her  eyes. 

"Oh,  you  know,"  he  answered,  hardly  knowing 
how  to  proceed.  He  was  doing  his  best  to  catch  her 
eye  but  could  not. 

He  raised  up  and  caught  her  by  the  forearm,  but 
he  was  too  weak  to  hold  her  and  she  drew  herself 
gently  away. 

"I  told  Mr.  Parmalee  that  he  must  not  excite  you, 
and  now  I'm  acting  just  as  badly,"  she  said.  "You 
must  rest  or  you'll  never  get  well." 

"Oh,  I'm  bound  to  get  well  now!"  he  declared. 

At  that  moment  Tyke  Grimshaw's  face  appeared 
at  the  doorway. 

"How  are  you  making  it,  Allen?"  he  questioned. 

"First  rate,"  was  the  answer.  The  young  man 
was  rather  put  out  over  the  interruption,  yet  he 
could  not  help  but  remember  what  Grimshaw  had 
done  for  him  and  he  gave  the  old  man  a  warm  look 
of  gratitude. 

"We're  going  to  have  some  rough  sailing  for  a 
little  while,"  announced  Grimshaw.  "We're  going 
to  sail  through  that  there  gap  in  the  reef — if  it  can 
be  done." 

From  a  distance  they  could  hear  the  voice  of 


340  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

Mr.  Rogers  giving  orders.  And  the  stamp  of  the 
seamen's  feet  announced  that  the  Bertha  Hamilton 
was  getting  under  way.  Short-handed  as  she  was, 
never  did  sailors  swing  into  the  ancient  chantey  in 
better  tune  and  with  more  cheerfulness. 

"Oh,  haul  the  bowline,  Katy  is  my  darling, 
Oh,  haul  the  bowline,  the  bowline  haul! 

"Oh,  haul  the  bowline,  London  girls  are  towing, 
Oh,  haul  the  bowline,  the  bowline  haul! 

"Oh,  haul  the  bowline,  the  packet  is  a-rolling, 
Oh,  haul  the  bowline,  the  bowline  haul!" 

With  anchor  apeak,  topsails  jerked  aloft  and  flat- 
tened, the  schooner  took  the  wind.  Although  the 
earthquake  had  subsided,  the  waters  both  inside  the 
reef  and  outside  were  much  troubled.  Where  the 
two  jaws  of  the  rocky  barrier  still  remained,  the 
waves  pounded  and  foamed  furiously. 

Would  they  be  able  to  get  out  safely  ?  That  was 
the  question  in  the  mind  of  every  man  who  trod 
the  deck  of  the  schooner.  Soundings  had  been 
made,  and  they  had  learned  that  the  lane  to  safety 
was  both  narrow  and  winding. 

"If  we  hit,  it  will  be  all  up  with  us,"  said  one  of 
the  tars  to  his  mates. 

"We  got  ter  take  a  chance,"  was  the  answer. 


The  Surrender — Conclusion          341 

"Keelhaul  me,  if  I  want  to  stay  at  this  island  any 
longer !" 

Closer  and  closer  to  the  jaws  of  the  reef  sped  the 
Bertha  Hamilton.  Then  up  and  down  like  a  cork 
danced  the  schooner.  For  one  brief  instant  as  she 
plunged  through  the  waves  and  the  foam,  scattering 
the  flying  spray  in  all  directions,  it  looked  as  if 
nature  might  force  her  upon  the  rocks,  there  to  be 
battered  into  a  shapeless  hulk.  But  then,  as  if  by 
a  miracle,  she  righted  herself,  answered  her  helm, 
and  shot  through  the  miraculously  opened  lane  into 
the  blue  waters  of  the  ocean  beyond. 

They  were  homeward  bound. 

A  week  later  as  the  schooner  was  running  up  the 
Florida  coast,  Drew,  who  had  gained  strength 
magically  after  his  enlightening  interview  with 
Parmalee,  was  standing  with  Ruth  near  the  rail. 
Dusk  was  coming  on,  and  a  crescent  moon  was 
already  showing  its  horns  in  the  sky,  still  touched 
by  the  sun's  aftermath. 

In  the  hush  of  the  twilight  they  had  fallen  silent. 
Ruth's  hand  was  resting  on  the  rail.  Allen  reached 
over  gently  and  took  it  in  his  own.  It  was  quiver- 
ing, but  she  did  not  withdraw  it. 

"Ruth,  look  at  me,"  he  said,  somewhat  huskily. 

She  lifted  her  eyes  to  his,  but  dropped  them 
instantly. 

"Ruth,"  he  continued,  "when  I  was  hurt  and 
was  losing  consciousness  on  the  island,  do  you  re- 


342  Doubloons  -  and  The  Girl 

member  what  you  said  to  me?"  She  was  silent. 
"Tell  me,  Ruth,"  he  urged.  "Do  you?" 

"How  can  I?"  she  said  evasively.  "I — I  said  so 
many  things.  I  was  so  excited " 

"I  remember,"  he  said  softly.  "I  will  never  for- 
get. You  said :  'Don't  go,  Allen,  not  until  I  tell 
you —  What ,  was  it  you  wished  to  tell  me, 
Ruth?" 

"Don't  make  me  say  it,  Allen,"  she  murmured, 
her  gaze  downcast. 

"Was  it  this?"  he  asked;  and  now  his  voice  was 
shaking.  "Was  it :  Don't  go,  Allen,  not  until  I  tell 
you  that  I  love  you?  Was  that  it,  Ruth?" 

She  looked  at  him  then,  and  her  eyes  were 
wonderful. 

With  a  stifled  cry  he  opened  his  arms,  and  she 
crept  into  them  in  shy  and  sweet  surrender. 

His  lips  met  hers. 

He  had  gained  the  Doubloons — and  the  Girl. 


THE  END 


